


Cease the Suffering

by TheShatteredRose



Series: Cease the Suffering [1]
Category: Etrian Odyssey Series
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-13
Updated: 2014-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-04 12:31:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 46
Words: 137,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1081041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShatteredRose/pseuds/TheShatteredRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(EOII) For eight long years, Medic Lynus had been the personal assistant to a ruthless lord against his will. Then one night he is granted a chance to cease all suffering. Leaving the lord for dead, Lynus and three others flee to Lagaard, a place that holds great significance to a childhood promise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_  
_Chapter 1:

 

_“Lynus! When we get older, let’s go to that labyrinth in Lagaard!”_

_“B-but I don’t think I’ll…”_

_“Sure you can! I’m going to be a Landsknecht when I grow up, so don’t worry. I’ll be strong enough for the both of us.”_

_“Can a medic enter the labyrinth?”_

_“Of course, why not? Medics are awesome.”_

_“…You really think so, Axel?”_

_“Sure!”_

_“…Ok! I’ll become the best medic so you won’t get hurt!”_

_“So, it’s a promise. Whatever happens, we’ll meet up in Lagaard one day. Deal?”_

_“Deal!”_

Harsh sunlight falling across his eyes caused Lynus to stir, being pulled out of his dreams. He kept his eyes closed as the feeling of childhood innocence faded away.

He had that dream again. Only, it wasn’t a dream. It had once been real, so many years ago. Eight years. He was ten back then. So young and naïve, and so hopeful for adventure with his best friend. The future was something to look forward to.

Not anymore.

“Hey there, precious.” A low, snake-like voice hissed through the thankfully tightly locked door to Lynus’ room. “Wakey wakey, you’ve got work to do.”

Taking a deep breath, Lynus finally opened his eyes. He stared up at the cracked ceiling of his room, the bed beneath him his only comfort. Slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position, long used to the throbbing headache he would get every morning after spending all day using his healing abilities.

“I’m up,” he replied to the known person on the other side of the door. He looked over to it, silently thankful that he automatically put the lock on when he stumbled back into his room late last night.

That man, Avith, was such a sleaze. He had learnt quickly to not be alone with him. Ever.

“Good, cos the boss wants ya to heal that brat again.”

Lynus frowned, that familiar sensation of unease settling in his stomach as he swung his legs over the side of his bed. “Rahas? What happened to him?”

Avith snorted. “The little bastard was disobedient.” He seemed to find great pleasure in saying that.

“Understood,” Lynus said as he sighed.

Rahas…that kid didn’t understand boundaries. He wasn’t strong enough yet.

“You coming or what?” Avith asked him impatiently.

“Coming,” Lynus said as he pushed himself to his feet, running on autopilot as he began to get ready for the day.

“Want me to help you get dressed?” Avith drawled. Although Lynus couldn’t see him, he could easily imagine the Dark Hunter leering at him. Like he always did.

Lynus curled his hands into tight fists by his sides as his stomach felt nauseous. “No thank you,” he replied through gritted teeth.

He kept a close eye on the door, though, as he changed into his medical clothes. He then picked up his bag, slung it over his head and onto his shoulder, before he picked up his staff. With his only weapon held in a defensive manner, Lynus walked over to his bedroom door, undid the lock and stepped out.

Lynus immediately felt irritated when he found himself chest to chest with Avith, the dark blue hair man leering at him through one visible eye. He had his usual smirk, his teeth as sharp as a shark.

“Well, about time, beautiful,” Avith said as he leaned in way too close. “Sleep well, precious?”

Not bothering to answer that question, and in no mood to deal with the man’s small talk, Lynus used his staff to push him back. “Don’t touch me, Avith,” he said in a warning tone.

“Oh, come now,” Avith said as he pushed back against the blunt weapon.

“I mean it, Avith.”

Before Lynus could say anything else, Avith suddenly had a hand around his throat. “A sweet, fragile little medic like you can’t do anything to me,” Avith sneered at him.

Lynus automatically fell limp under his hold while his own grip on his weapon tightened. A sting of bitter acceptance touched him. It was true. A medic such as himself wouldn’t be able to stand up to an experience Dark Hunter like Avith. He knew that he wasn’t a fighter. He had accepted that. But what made it really annoying was the fact that Avith knew how much stronger he was than him.

And he wasn’t afraid to show it.

“Drop him, Avith.”

Immediately, Avith’s hand relinquished his grip around Lynus’ throat, allowing Lynus to stumble back a couple of steps, his hand flying up to gingerly touch his neck. He turned to look at the new voice, a chill of recognition rolling down his back.

It was Zalaph, a Hexer.

The man was intimidating to say the least. Ashen grey hair, sharp piercing eyes, stoic face, chains and black cloaks. He could look right through you. He also looked like he should be dead. Hardly an ounce of life in him.

Lynus suppressed a shiver as Zalaph floated over to him and stopped before him.

“Lord Taksony has requested your presence,” he said coldly, his voice and expression stark and emotionless.

Lynus didn’t question him. He knew better. Although he knew that Rahas was in need of medical attention, no one ever denied Lord Taksony anything.

“I understand,” Lynus said. He then wordlessly followed Zalaph through the many winding halls of the grand estate he was being held, being lead toward the vast ballroom. As they walked, Lynus tried his best to ignore the leers and sneers made by loyalists of Lord Taksony.

There, sitting at the very end of the table, looking much like a king, was an elderly man. His hair was thinning and silver, his skin wrinkling and covered in age spots. His eyes were hidden under thick, white eyebrows. Regal robes surrounded his ailing body and he appeared to be breathing heavily.

“Medic,” the man said, beckoning Lynus forward harshly. “My lungs are aching. Fix it.”

Lynus said nothing as he approached, simply bowed his head a little in a sign that he understood and accepted his orders. When he reached him, he lifted his hand, and placed it over the elderly man’s back, but not touching him. He closed his eyes as he concentrated on the appropriate spell, allowing the words to tumble effortlessly from his lips.

His hand tingled with energy, which was sharp and painful for him, but he had long learned to ignore it.

He had always wanted to be a Medic. Ever since he was a kid, he had dreamed of helping others through their pain and suffering. He just never imagined that he would become the forced personal nurse to the ruthless and notorious Lord Taksony.

Lynus remembered that night, when he first met him. He was 10 and just starting out with his training as a medic. He was a prodigy, apparently. So young, yet already so skilled. People praised him for that. It was a gift.

But, from that moment on, it felt like a curse.

Lord Taksony had an illness that was incurable, an illness that brought him great suffering. He was seeking for a cure, which was said to be found in the Etria, deep within the Labyrinth that had been discovered there. But he wanted time to find it. He wanted to stay alive until his loyal followers could get the cure.

He wanted a Medic to become his personal assistant.

He wanted Lynus.

And what Lord Taksony wanted, he got. Without exception.

Lynus did not know what happened to his parents, or his friends, but since that night he had never seen or heard from any of them. Not surprising, really. After all, he was kidnapped that night. Taken by a man far stronger than he.

He didn’t have a chance.

That was eight years ago. And Lynus was honestly surprised that the man had lived this long. His body was weak and shutting down. It was only from Lynus’ constant healing that he was able to scrape in another day to live. He was literally on borrowed time.

That was probably why Lynus was still around. It wasn’t uncommon for servants of Lord Taksony’s to ‘disappear’ suddenly. And it was also rather common for new servants to suddenly appear.

Lynus wasn’t the only one Lord Taksony had taken against their will. There was another that was still around, a young Troubadour called Binah. She had been working for their lordship for over a year, acting as his entertainment. Her songs gave him energy and aided in his healing.

But, while she was useful, she wasn’t unpunishable. She was young, scared and skittish. Make a mistake in her songs and she’d be punished. Just like Rahas – Lord Taksony’s very own son.

As the healing glow subsided, Lynus silently stepped away. Lord Taksony coughed a couple of times, but his breathing was noticeably smoother and easier.

Just as Lynus was about to ask if he was needed further, the doors of the ballroom flew open and a couple of the lord’s guards appeared, in-between them a young man with brownish-orange hair and carrying a lute was dragged inside.

“We have the one you requested, m’lord.”

Lynus felt his chest ache as he watched the skittish Troubadour clutch his lute to his chest and look around nervously. He was obviously a new ‘addition’ for Lord Taksony’s attempt to starve off death.

_No_ , he thought to himself. _Not another one_.

How many more did he have to see suffer?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Lynus curled his hands into fists as he watched the Troubadour be pushed forward roughly, becoming the unwilling centre of attention. His violet eyes were wide as they darted around, trying to take everything in. Even with the distance between them, Lynus could see the boy trembling, his breathing ragged and even.

That poor boy. The only thing Lynus could hope for was that his lordship did not seek any entertainment this very instant.

“Boy,” Lord Taksony said, his voice causing a violent shudder to race through the Troubadour’s body and a shiver to race down Lynus’ spine. Despite being of dire health, he had a commanding and domineering voice. When he spoke, everyone listed.

“You have now become my servant. Your only purpose is to serve me.”

“B-but, my family…”

Lynus winced when a guard lashed out, striking the Troubadour’s cheek, sending him sprawling across the hard marble floor with a cry. He withered on the floor for a few moments as the guard leaned over him.

“You do not talk back to his lordship,” the guard stated in no uncertain terms.

The boy wisely said nothing, but cowered as he nodded his head.

“Medic,” Lord Taksony commanded loudly, his voice effortlessly booming through the large room. “Take the brat and teach him the rules.”

Again, Lynus said nothing as he bowed and backed away from him. He then quickly made his way over to the silently crying Troubadour and helped him to his feet. The young man was jittery and terribly frightened. He immediately reminded Lynus of himself when he was thrown into his nightmare.

Taking the Troubadour by the arm, Lynus lead him out of the ballroom, heading in the direction of where the servant quarters were. Where his bedroom was. And where this young man’s new room was.

Not only was Lynus in charge of keeping Lord Taksony’s alive, he was also in charge of looking after the other hostages. Mainly Rahas and Binah as they were really the only ones left. Now there was a third one.

Keeping the Troubadour close to his side, Lynus approached an empty room that was in close proximity of his room, as well as Rahas’ and Binah’s. He liked to keep those under his care as close as possible. It was the best way for him to keep an eye on them.

Opening the door, Lynus guided the other inside and closed the door. As soon as the door clicked shut, Lynus engaged the lock without a second thought. It was a habit now, yet he was always conscious of it. And the sound of the lock falling in place was somewhat reassuring. No one would be able to get in without breaking down the door, but they wouldn’t do that as Lord Taksony liked his manor to be presentable and spotless at all times.

So they were safe for now.

Lynus turned to look at the other, immediately spotting the swelling on his cheek. It would turn into a large bruise and a possible black eye if Lynus didn’t attend to it soon.

“What’s your name,” Lynus asked the young man gently as he walked over to him.

“L…Lirit,” came a soft, whispery response.

Lynus smiled at him, showing him that he was no threat. “My name is Lynus,” he said as he lifted a hand to gently touch Lirit’s cheek. A gentle green glow appeared around his hand, this time warm and soothing. “I’m a medic.”

Lirit, although still jittery, seemed to calm down a bit after feeling the healing power tend to his throbbing cheek. But then Lirit asked a question Lynus wasn’t able to answer. “Why am I here?”

Lynus shook his head slowly, his smile empty and sad. “I don’t know.”

As the stark realisation of his new situation began to sink in, Lirit’s eyes filled with tears. Disbelief, shock, devastation. It was all so evident in his eyes. They were emotions so deep that they hurt Lynus, too.

“It’ll be ok,” Lynus said as he pulled the other into a hug, Lirit immediately responding by clinging to him. “For now, just do as you’re told and you’ll be ok. I’ll look after you.”

Lirit nodded his head against Lynus’ shoulder and Lynus continued to hold him for a few more reassuring seconds. He then pulled away, offering Lirit a rather futile smile before he set to the task of making the room somewhat liveable. There was a bed, a desk and a cupboard. The bed was bare at the moment, but there were blankets and pillows locked away in the cupboard.

They should give Lirit a small bit of comfort at least.

“There’s a lock on the door,” Lynus said as he folded a couple of blankets onto the single bed. “Whenever you are in your room alone, I want you to use it. I have a special ‘knock’ so you’ll know it’s me.”

Lirit nodded, against seemingly too frightened to say anything. But he did wander close to the door to inspect the lock, taking the moment to figure out its mechanics.

However, he immediately jumped away from the door and scrambled to be near Lynus when there was a loud and sharp knock at the door. “Hey, twinkle-toes! His lordship wants ya to put on a performance.”

The moment those words sunk in, Lirit looked as if he was about to faint.

“Listen to me,” Lynus said as firmly, yet as gently as he could as he took Lirit by the shoulders and pressed their foreheads together. “I need you to sing. Just close your eyes and sing whatever song you know. Don’t think about anything else. Remember, if you do as your told and don’t talk back you will be ok.”

Swallowing a thick lump of emotion in his throat, Lirit nodded his head. He reluctantly stepped away from Lynus and with shaky hands, picked up his lute. He clutched the musical instrument against his chest as he walked over to the door.

On the other side, waiting in his usual pompous manner was Avith, with Zalaph lingering silently in the background.

Lynus followed Lirit out, hoping that his presence will prevent Avith from tormenting the skittish Troubadour. It seemed to work as Avith turned those sharp eyes to look directly at Lynus, ignoring Lirit completely.

“Hello again, sweet cheeks,” Avith leered at him.

“Leave me alone, messenger rat,” Lynus hissed in reply, but only got a short bark of laughter in reply. Avith took great joy in his fruitless insults.

Fortunately, Zalaph intervened before Avith could sneer anything else at him, appearing before Lirit with the simple command of ‘come’ before leading the reluctant entertainer away. Avith followed closely behind, leaving Lynus with a great sense fear for their new companion.

There was nothing he could do for him now, but hope that he would prove useful to Lord Taksony.

Walking over to another door, Lynus glanced quickly at his surroundings, ensuring that no one else was around. Satisfied that he was indeed alone, Lynus lifted his hand and gently tapped against the wooden door. He made a quick series of knocks; one tap, long pause, two quick taps, another long pause and then one slightly louder knock.

A mere moment later Lynus heard the lock on the door release and the door slowly open without a noise. A young girl with bright pink hair in two pigtails peered through the crack. The door quickly opened far enough for Lynus to slip inside.

As he locked the door again, Lynus felt a pair of skinny arms wrap around his waist that clung to him so tightly, a face press against his torso.

“Are you all right, Binah?” Lynus asked as he gently patted her on the head.

“I’m ok,” Binah mumbled into his shirt before pulling away and pointing to the white-haired boy lying uncomfortably on the bed. “But Rahas…”

Just as Lynus turned to look, Rahas muttered a blatant lie. “I’m fine.”

But, of course, Lynus didn’t believe him. He could see the wounds covering his lanky form, in spite of the makeshift bandages Binah had used.

“Let me see,” Lynus simply said as he shifted his bag from his shoulder and placed it onto the floor, his staff following. He didn’t need it when he was healing someone other than Lord Taksony. He walked over to the bed and sat down onto a chair that Binah must have been occupying moments earlier.

Once more he raised his hands over Rahas’ prone form and closed his eyes as the all too common spell of healing tumbled from his lips. Although the wounds were deep, Lynus would take care of them all. He had to. He needed to.

“There’s a new one,” Rahas muttered as he rolled his head to the side, looking at the wall beside his bed.

“I know,” Lynus replied as his hands continued to tingle with a healing glow. “A Troubadour.”

“A Troubadour?” Binah repeated, a slight sense of fear appear in her eyes. “What about me?”

“He’s a male Troubadour,” Lynus was quick to reassure, finishing up his healing of Rahas. “I don’t think he’ll be replacing you.”

A small sense of relief appeared in Binah’s eyes, but she still looked uncertain and scared that Lord Taksony may have tired of her and was seeking to replace her permanently. And, to be honest, it could be possible.

With little reassurance to offer the girl, Lynus allowed her to rest her head in his lap as he gently stroke her head in a form of comfort.

“…He shouldn’t be here,” Rahas suddenly rasped, a deep sense of frustration and anger in his voice. “We shouldn’t be here.”

Lynus sighed. They have had this conversation numerous times before. “Is that why you-?”

“That bastard should be dead!” Rahas hissed, his body tension, his hands curling into tightly painful fists.

Again, Lynus found himself sighing. Rahas was a Dark Hunter, the same as Avith. But he wasn’t as strong as Avith yet, and despite Lord Taksony’s ailing health, he couldn’t defeat him either. Not with his loyal bodyguards hanging around all the time.

“Rahas, you shouldn’t be so reckless,” Lynus said, lightly scolding him. “You’re suffering.”

“I’ll kill him,” Rahas murmured, stilling looking at the wall. “I swear I’ll kill him.”

“Lynus…”

Lynus glanced down at Binah, who had lifted her head from his lap, but her hands grasped at the material of his pants. “What’s wrong?” he asked her.

“I…” Binah began to say, tears pooling in her eyes. “I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Binah…”

“It’ll be ok, Binah,” Rahas said, his voice rather soothing and comforting as he rolled over onto his side. He lifted a hand and placed it on Binah’s head. “I’ll protect you.”

Binah sniffled and wiped at her eyes with her hand. “Ok.”

“We’ll get out of here, one day.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Three days had passed since Lirit had been so harshly introduced into his new way of life. Although fidgety and deathly afraid, he had managed to outwardly adapt to his surroundings. He did as he was told, sung his most useful songs and kept quiet when he was meant to.

Lynus was relieved that he had caught on so quickly.

But it didn’t mean Lirit was accepting of his new way of life. The boy would cling to Lynus whenever possible, even staying in his room when his emotions got too much for him. Not that Lynus could blame him.

It was late afternoon, now. The four hostages, as they were called by the guards, were hiding out in Lynus’ room. There was a small sense of comfort and reassurance when the four of them were together. And it was a rare afternoon off for them, so they had to enjoy the peace while they could.

Lynus was sitting on the bed, with Binah’s head on his thigh as she tried to drift off to sleep. Lirit was sitting next to him, so close that their shoulders were touching. The only person not clinging to him was Rahas, who instead sat glumly on the desk, peering out through the barred windows at the setting sun.

“Um,” Lirit started to say, nudging Lynus with his shoulder. “Can I ask…?”

“How long we’ve been here?” Lynus finished for him and Lirit nodded his head once slowly.

“I’ve been here for two years…” Binah was the first to answer, rolling onto her back, but keep her head on Lynus’ leg. “I think.”

Nearing three years, actually, but Lynus wasn’t going to remind her of that.

“…Eight years for me, I’m afraid,” Lynus answered. Nearly eight years to the day, actually. He kept count. He probably shouldn’t have, but he did. To keep his sanity.

“I was born here,” Rahas spat, his voice icy cold and venomous.

A look of confusion flittered across Lirit’s face, looking to Lynus to hopeful clarify what he meant. But Lynus hesitated. He parted his lips to give a vague response, but Rahas interrupted him.

“That bastard is supposedly my father.”

Lynus winced when he watched the colour drain from Lirit’s face. He was now realising that Lord Taksony’s reputation of being ruthless and cruel was quite accurate. After all, if he could abuse his own son, what would he do to others that weren’t of the same blood?

“Don’t think too much about it,” Lynus said gently, taking Lirit’s shaking hand in his. “Remember to stay useful and you’ll get through this. We all will.”

“How old are you, Lirit?” Binah suddenly asked, swiftly changing the subject.

“17,” Lirit answered.

“You’re one year older than me and the same age as Rahas,” Binah said, looking mildly thoughtful. “That means that I’m still the baby sister, huh?”

“Of course,” Lynus said as he patted her head. “And I’m still the oldest, so you better do what big brother tells you, ok?”

“Kay.”

The room fell silent after that and Lynus retreated into his thoughts as Lirit curled up against his side and Binah grasped onto his arm.

That was right, he was the oldest. He had to be strong for them. He was the only one who could heal them, who could look after them. That was why he had to be so obedient, so useful. He needed to stay alive so that the others had someone to look after them.

And, while he was alone, he had been forming an escape plan.

It was silly, really. Having an escape plan written down in his medical book. But no one questioned him carrying around a medical book in his arms, nor when he would scribble something down. The notes were hidden deep within the heavily medical terminology filled pages. The guards didn’t care about him or his book.

To some, it might appear fruitless and futile.

But it was better than being resigned to this nightmare. While he was physically trapped, his movements monitored and his schedule greatly limited, they could not prevent him from having his own thoughts. It kept him busy, looking at his surroundings, looking for a possible escape route. He knew the guards’ routines quite well.

The only thing he could not guess or predict was Avith and Zalaph. Which secretly annoyed the shit out of him. Avith was so wild and unpredictable that he was an oddity. And Zalaph was simply unpredictable because of the fact that he didn’t know a single thing about him. Nothing.

But one day…

One day they’ll be given the chance to flee from this nightmare. They just need to be patient.

Lynus was pulled from his thoughts when there was a sharp knock at his door. He became tense while those clinging to him became alarmed. He hoped it wasn’t Avith looking to harass him in order to ward off boredom.

“Lynus.”

No, it wasn’t Avith. It was Zalaph.

“Y-yes?” Lynus unwillingly stuttered. Zalaph always unnerved him so much.

“Lord Taksony has requested your presence once more,” Zalaph’s voice drifted through the door like an ominous mist. “He has taken ill.”

“I understand,” Lynus said as he moved off the bed, disentangled the hands grasping onto him. He gave Binah and Lirit a couple of reassuring pats to their heads before quickly grabbing his bag and staff. He opened the door just enough so he could slip through, not wanting Zalaph to know that he wasn’t alone in his room.

Hovering in the middle of the empty hallway was Zalaph, looking as ghostly and silently as ever.

“His bedchamber?” Lynus asked, referring to the command.

“Yes.”

“Understood,” Lynus replied dutifully. “I’ll head over there immediately.”

Lynus then made the motion to lead the way, but Zalaph stared silently at him for a moment, making Lynus fidget and squirm under his piercing gaze.

“Is…” Lynus muttered as he clutching his staff to his chest. “Is something wrong?”

For a few more intimidating moments, Zalaph stared at him. Suddenly, he blinked and looked away, turning in the opposite direction of the lord’s bedchamber. “…I’ll leave it up to you,” he said. “Avith has been sent on a mission. He won’t be a bother.”

Lynus opened his mouth in order to say something, but nothing would come out. In all honesty, he was feeling quite flabbergasted. He wasn’t sure why Zalaph told him that, or why he had such a cold shiver racing through him.

And Zalaph offered no answer as he simply floated away, disappearing as if he was never there to begin with. Lynus half expected him to escort him to the bedchamber, so was surprised when he simply left him alone.

“Lynus?”

Lynus turned to see Binah and Lirit peering at him through the slight crack in the door. He offered them both a smile. “I shouldn’t be long. Wait here for me. And make sure you lock the door.”

The two Troubadours nodded and reluctantly closed the door on him, which was quickly followed by the faint sound of the locked being engaged.

Turning, Lynus walked down the familiar path toward the Lord Taksony’s bedchamber. It wasn’t the first time he had to enter his room to offer medical assistance while he was in bed. He had been particularly irritable all day, so must be feeling quite sick indeed.

He passed a couple of guards along the way, but they thankfully ignored him. Lynus was really the only person who was allowed to be alone with Lord Taksony. He was a medic, after all. Short, scrawny, no physical strength whatsoever. He wasn’t a threat to him at all.

Reaching the large oak doors, Lynus swallowed down his trepidation and knocked on the doors three times. A moment later the door opened and one of Lord Taksony’s loyal guards appeared before him.

“About time,” he hissed at Lynus before turning to grace his lord with a bow. “The medic has finally arrive, m’lord.”

“Good,” Lord Taksony snorted gruffly. “You may leave.”

The guard bowed lowly. “Sir,” he said before straightening up and brushing past Lynus.

Lynus waited until the door fell shut behind him before advancing further into the room with cautious steps. He walked over to the right side of his captor’s bed and waited for any instructions.

“It’s the same ailment, boy,” Lord Taksony said to him roughly. “I don’t have to keep repeating myself.”

Well, he certainly was in a bad mood today.

“Allow me a moment to go through my notes, sir,” Lynus humbly asked.

The elderly man snorted, but grunted out a fine as he settled himself back against his pillows.

Lynus bowed in gratitude before shifting his bag from his shoulder, turning his back to his lordship and placing his bag onto of a table. He quickly riffled through the bag’s contents of medicines and medical notes. He pulled out a notebook, one where he had scribbled down his own thoughts and observations regarding medical matters.

Flipping through the pages, a strange little note he made out of haste jumped out at him unexpectedly. It was about the throat. That weak little spot between the jutting clavicle bones; the Interclavicular Ligament.

A deeply strange thought occurred to him. Allowing the words to sink in, Lynus calmly placed the book back into his bag, his left hand sneaking out to grasp at his staff.

It was a medic’s duty to stop the pain in others. To end the suffering. That was why he had been chosen to become Lord Taksony’s personal medical aide.

But…the longer this man stayed alive, the more that those around him suffered. He was the cause of pain in others. In his son. In those he had ruthless kidnapped. In so many others he had killed.

“What are you waiting for, boy?” Lord Taksony snarled at him.

“Yes,” Lynus said as he tightened his grip on his staff. “I’ll end the suffering.”

Taking a deep breath, Lynus closed his eyes. He thought back to his medical books he had been forced to study. He knew all about the body’s strengths…and their weaknesses. Sometimes all it took was a simple knock, a steady blow. He knew exactly what needed to be done.

It was time.

“Caduceus.”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Despite the frailty of his arms, Lynus swung his only weapon with all his might. He didn’t recall any sound when his staff struck Lord Taksony’s throat. There wasn’t a loud crack like he had expected. There was a muffled, hollowed ‘thud’, but that was about it.

Lord Taksony didn’t see the attack coming.

His body flailed about for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise. Then, he simply slumped back, his mouth open, his eyes rolled back into his head. There was a rush of air as he exhaled…but he didn’t immediately inhale.

Slowly, Lynus lifted the staff from the man’s throat and took a subconscious step backwards. He watched in silence, waiting for him to stir, to gasp for air. But nothing happened.

…What had he done?

Terrified, Lynus whipped around to face the door, his staff held tightly in two hands in a somewhat defensive position. He was expecting the doors to the bedchamber to fly open and a swarm of guards to come in and attack him.

But nothing happened. It was deathly silent. The only thing he could clearly hear was his own heartbeat thundering in his chest.

Drawing in a shaky breath, Lynus turned to look at the elderly man that had caused so much pain and suffering. He slowly approached him, his staff held out in front of him just in case the lord may recover and lash out at him for his insubordination.

But with every inch that he drew closer, he knew that there was no fight left in the man.

He was dead. No breath, no life. Nothing.

He was really dead.

Lynus had killed him.

Before the horrid realisation that he had actually killed someone set in, Lynus immediately began to think of what he should do next. He had waited eight years for this moment. It was now or never.

First, he needed to get back to the others. And quickly.

Lifting the sheets, Lynus tucked them around Lord Taksony’s cooling form and shut his eyelids. He looked as if he was sleeping. And, maybe, if anyone should pop their head to check up on him, they will assume he was sleeping and leave him be.

Giving Lynus and the others more time.

Slipping out of the room, Lynus tried not to look too suspicious as he hurried his way back to his room where the others were awaiting his return. He didn’t have time to explain to them what happened. That would come later. Right now he needed to get them out of this prison as that would be the most difficult part.

Keeping his head down, his staff clutched tightly in his hands, Lynus finally reached his destination. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease at the prospect that this will probably be the last time he would have to rap out his secret knock or enter his room.

As soon as the lock was released, Lynus wasted no time pushing himself inside, no doubt startling the three occupants inside with his slightly frazzled appearance and fear in his eyes.

“We have to go,” Lynus said quickly. “We’re running out of time.”

At first he was greeted with three looks of bewilderment and confusion. Then, realisation quickly set in and excited fear took over. Without a word, the three got themselves ready, grabbing what little personal possessions they had. Rahas darted out of the room to slip into his, grabbing a large backpack and slinging it across his back.

Lynus didn’t bother asking what it was. He simply assumed that Rahas had been preparing for this moment as well. No surprise, really.

But now came the hard part; getting out without anyone seeing them.

“I know a way out,” Rahas suddenly said. “Servant’s entrance. The bastards think they’ve blocked it up, but I think I can break through it. Especially if the four of us work together.”

Lynus was surprised to hear that, but nodded nonetheless. Exiting through the servant’s quarters was their best bet. The guards and loyalists of Lord Taksony didn’t see themselves as servants, so they were above such lowlifes.

“We need to move quickly,” Lynus said softly as he walked over to his door and peered outside. “Avith isn’t here, but Zalaph is.”

He wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“I’ll show the way,” Rahas whispered lowly.

Lynus nodded. He reached out his hands for Binah and Lirit to take. He needed to keep them close to him as Rahas lead the way. Staying close together was their best bet. He wasn’t about to leave any of them behind.

With the sun well and truly set, night-time darkness fell over the manor, darkening the already quite spooky hallways. But Lynus had been through these corridors many times in his eight years as hostage. He often found himself wandering through them after meeting his lord’s expectations. He actually found great comfort in hiding in the shadows. If he couldn’t be seen, he couldn’t be hurt.

Turning down a seemingly dead-end, Lynus felt Binah tighten her grip on his hand, pressing her face against his arm. He squeezed her hand back and watched as Rahas slid his hand along the decorated wall, looking for something.

Suddenly, he pressed in a tile and a section of the wall popped out. It was a door. A secret hatch that lead to the many concealed hallways that past servants had used.

A very mild sense of relief touched Lynus as he pushed Binah and then Lirit through the door, watching over his shoulder for any possible threat. Vaguely, he could have sworn he heard footsteps faintly off in the distance.

He didn’t have time to ponder about them, though, as Rahas had pushed him inside the tight space and followed directly behind him, slipping the door shut with a near inaudible click. The room was dark, pitch black. It was quite claustrophobic, but having a source of light might alert someone to their position. They couldn’t chance it.

All they could do was place their hand on the wall to act as their guide and wait for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Soon, Lynus was able to vaguely make out shapes and objects. And the further they move, the less dense the darkness was. It was a sign that they were moving in the right direction.

The reached a door at the very end of the tiny hallway. With light seen shinning underneath the door, Lynus breathed a small sigh of relief. He guessed what was awaiting them on the other side.

The courtyard.

Their last hurdle.

With the four of them pushing against the blockade, they managed to pop the door open. The weather beaten boards that were used to keep the door shut and unusable creaked as they tumbled to the ground. Finally, as the hinges of the door squeaked, they managed to push the heavy door open enough for them to squeeze out.

The sight of the perfectly manicure lawns was a welcoming one. But the large stone protective wall wasn’t. Still, they appeared to be in a small, unsightly corner of the courtyard. If they stick to the shadowy areas, they should be fine.

_We will be fine_ , Lynus thought to himself as he motioned for the others to follow him.

Darting from shadow to shadow, they finally reached a secluded part of the wall, a place that couldn’t be seen from the windows high above.

Now, they needed to get over this wall…

“You go over first,” Rahas said to Lynus. “So you can help the others get down.”

Lynus was planning of being the last one over the wall. He was the oldest, after all. But Rahas was physically stronger than he was. He would be able to help Binah and Lirit over the wall more easily. It only made sense.

With Rahas’ help, Lynus was able to scale the large stone wall and drop down silently on the other side. The grass was slightly wet from night dew, yet the air already smelt so much fresher.

He turned his attention back to the wall, watching as a frightened Binah reached the top of the wall. He could see fear shimmering in her eyes, yet she remind outwardly calm. She knew what she had to do and she did it without question. Lifting up his arms, Lynus helped her and turned to see that Lirit was right behind her. However, he hesitated on top of the wall, seemingly looking down at Rahas.

Just as Lynus was about to get nervous about him taking too long, Rahas suddenly popped into view. Relief touched him when he realised that Lirit was hesitating only so he could help Rahas scale the wall as well.

Good. All of them were getting out.

Wordlessly, the two other males slipped down the wall, dropping onto the slippery grass. Then, ensuring that they were there, unharmed and accounted for, they turned their backs and ran.

The relief they all felt when they stepped beyond the boundaries of the manor was palpable. Clutching their belongings tightly, they simply ran away from the intimidating building, none of them wanting to grace their prison with one last look. Not even the shadows of the dense forest that surrounded the manor scared them at all.

As they made it to the town’s square, filled with a few late night shoppers, Binah started laughing and crying at the same time from relief.

“We’re out,” she whispered as they came to a halt under a street lamp, taking a moment to catch their breath.

Lynus felt the tension drain from his body and he slumped down onto a bench. He knew that he shouldn’t be unguarded, especially as guards could still be in the area. But the feel of the cool night air against his exposed skin, watching as Binah pull Lirit into a small dance, seeing the disbelief on Rahas’ face was very reassuring, comforting and darn-well exciting.

A small taste of freedom.

“We can’t stay here,” Rahas suddenly spoke. “We have to get out of town.”

The moment of freedom was quickly soured by the stark realisation that they were still in danger. And Lynus fell straight back into his care-taker mode.

“It will all be ok,” Lynus said as he climbed to his feet and pulled Binah and Lirit into a hug. “As long as we stick together we’ll be just fine.”

Rahas removed his bag from his back and opened it. “We should have enough money to take a boat out of here,” he said. “Only fitting that the bastard pays for our boat fare.

“Where can we go, though?” Binah asked softly as she clung to Lynus, shivering in the cool night air.

“Lagaard,” Lynus replied immediately, his gaze shifting toward the docks. “We’re going to Lagaard.”

A childhood promise awaited him there.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

It was just luck that the next boat departing the dock was heading to Lagaard. And that there was room for more passengers. Even more fortunate was the fact that the ship was set to depart not long after Lynus and the others paid their way on board.

No questions were asked, no lies were told. Paid to get on and keep to yourself. That was the ship captain’s motto. One that Lynus was thankful for. He also felt slightly relieved as he didn’t recognise any of those he passed on board. As the only healer under Taksony’s control, he was the one in charge of healing everyone.

He quickly learnt who was hostile and who wasn’t.

Lynus had never been so relieved to step into their cabin and feel the ship begin to sail. Watching as his three younger companions sigh with relief, he knew that they had done it. They’ve managed to escape. Not even Lord Taksony’s influence could reach them at sea…Could it?

“I’m finally going to Lagaard…” Lynus murmured as he set down his bag and staff onto the bottom bunk of a bed in their private cabin.

“When should we get there?” Binah asked as she stared out the porthole window, looking nervously excited.

“By tomorrow afternoon, I suppose,” Lynus replied. He wasn’t completely sure, though. “It’s really late now. Why don’t we try to get some rest? We’re safe for now.”

“Ok,” Lirit said, looking suddenly tired.

“I want the top bunk!” Binah suddenly announced as she scrambled onto the mattress, happily nuzzling her face into the pillow.

“Can I take the other one?” Lirit asked, turning to look at Lynus, looking hopeful.

Lynus smiled at him. “Sure.”

His smile was gentle and honest as he watched Lirit pretty much mimic Binah’s actions. The beds and the sheets probably weren’t the most comfortable or the cleanest, but that didn’t matter. The mere thought of not being inside that prison was comforting enough.

“Well, at least there are enough beds for all of us,” Lynus murmured as he sat on the bed underneath the bunk that Lirit took. He suddenly felt weary, tired – exhausted, really. Everything that had happened was starting to catch up on him. Now that they were safe, his mind wandered. Did he do the right thing? Were they going to be ok?

He lifted his gaze to look at Rahas when he felt that someone was staring at him, and found Rahas looking at him with a rather strange expression on his face.

“Rahas?”

“We need to talk,” Rahas said, rather bluntly, but his voice barely above a whisper.

Lynus sighed and felt his shoulder sag. He had been expecting this. “We’ll…do it later when they’re asleep, ok?” he requested, motioning to the others with a quirk of his head.

Rahas briefly thought of the two before he nodded. “Fine.”

Silence fell over the cabin after that. Lynus resisted the urge to lie down in his own bed and sleep. He’ll have plenty of time to rest later. Rahas deserved to know the truth. The truth about what he had done.

Hopefully…

Hopefully he won’t react too badly.

Waiting for a few more minutes, Lynus was satisfied that the two Troubadours had fallen asleep. Not wanting to wake them up with their talking, the two headed outside. Standing near the bow of the ship, Rahas leaned against the railing with his elbows, looking over the side.

“What happened to the old man?” Rahas immediately asked after they were reassured that no one would overhear.

Lynus sighed and turn his back to rest against the railing, his fingers tightening around the staff he picked up and carried out of habit. “…He’s dead.”

“I guessed as much,” Rahas muttered, not sounding that upset. “What happened?”

“…I…I killed him,” Lynus admitted, softly.

Rahas’s posture stiffened and he spun around to face him directly. “What?”

Lynus fidgeted were he stood, his hands twisting the staff around uncomfortably. “…The opportunity to stop the suffering came up,” he said quietly, not looking at Rahas. “I took it.”

“You killed him?” Rahas spluttered. “Are you sure?”

Lynus closed his eyes and nodded. “Yes.” He was a Medic. He would know if someone was dead or not.

Rahas seemed deflated for a moment. Completely shocked. Then, a look of frustrated anger appeared on his face and he bristled as he punched the railing with his fist. “…Dammit!”

Lynus winced and grasped his hands tighter together. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“That should have been me!” Rahas growled, his body shaking with anger. “I was the one who was supposed to kill him!”

“Rahas…?” Lynus murmured, slightly surprised by the other’s admission. He turned to face him fully, his hands unclenching, one raised in an attempt to offer some comfort. He hesitated, though, unsure if Rahas would want it.

“I didn’t…” Rahas began to mutter through gritted teeth. “You shouldn’t have to carry that burden. Dammit!”

Lynus was unsure of what to say or do, so he allowed the slightly younger man to vent. His ambition of defeating his own father had came to naught. That was his goal. What kept him going all this time.

And now…

“I wanted to be strong enough to protect you,” Rahas suddenly murmured weakly, the tension draining from his body as he slumped against the railing. “To protect everyone.”

“We’re…” Lynus started to say, but paused for a moment to try and find the right words. He needed to do this right. He needed to give Rahas another reason to keep going. Being free might not be enough without a purpose.

“We’re not entire safe yet, right?” he said as he placed a calming hand on Rahas’ shoulder. “There is a chance that someone might come after us.”

“Avith,” Rahas hissed with disgust, his nails scraping against the wooden railing of the ship. “I’ll become stronger than that bastard.”

He hoped so. Avith was a very dangerous man. And the arrogant bastard knew it.

“I know you will,” Lynus replied reassuringly, relieved that he now had something else to focus on. “But, for now, let’s get some sleep as well. It’s been a long day.”

“Yeah,” Rahas breathed as he took a moment to lift his hand to touch Lynus’, squeezing back. “We have to be ready when we reach Lagaard.”

“We can’t plan anything yet,” Lynus said. “We’ll make things up as we go.”

“Yeah, that would be best.”

Lynus watched as Rahas made his way back to their cabin. When he was out of sight, Lynus turned his attention to the scenery, the place that was once their captive home fading slowly in the distance. Then, he turned his eyes to the stars.

He was still holding the staff in his hands, the very one he used to kill Lord Taksony. His grip on the weapon trembled for a moment as he recalled that telling crack. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

_It had to be done_ , he reasoned with himself. _Lord Taksony should have died years ago_.

Silently, he lifted up the staff and held it over the side of the ship. He hesitated before unfurling his fingers and allowing the wooden weapon to tumble from his grip, hitting the water below with a soft splash. He didn’t need it anymore. He didn’t want to be reminded of what he had done. What he had to do.

A fresh start was needed. The past was gone. They weren’t going to go back.

Lynus then turned to face the direction the ship was sailing in.

“…I hope you’re there, Axel,” he whispered as he stared up at the twinkling stars in the sky.

... ... ... ... ...

_“Axel, look!”_

_“Whoa! Was that a healing spell?”_

_“Yep! It’s called Cure.”_

_“Heh, knew you could do it, Lynus!”_

_“I still got a lot more to learn, though…”_

_“Psst! You’ll be a medic in no time.”_

_“Thanks, Axel.”_

A red-haired Landsknecht opened an eye, waking up from a childhood memory in the form of a dream. He peered out the window at the cloudless blue sky, an empty feeling of aloneness beating in his chest.

“That dream again, huh?” he murmured. “I wonder if it means anything.”

The memory was both sweet and bitter. Sweet because it reminded him of his purpose in life, reminded him of the person he swore to become strong for. Bitter because it’s been eight long, frustrating years since he had seen his childhood best friend.

…Lynus.

“Axel?”

The redhead sighed and turned away from the window, his gaze falling upon an older man with black dark, dark skin and a red stripe of war paint on his nose.  A War Magus. He was Hamza, the leader of the guild called Guardians. “Yeah?”

“We have a quest,” Hamza replied as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall.

Axel yawned as he stretched his arms over his head, arching his back until he heard a satisfying crack. “Sure,” he muttered as he climbed to his feet, roughly running a hand through his hair. “Collecting more ingredients, huh?”

“Napping again?” Hamza questioned, quirking his eyebrow toward his hairline.

“I had that dream again.”

A look of understanding flittered across Hamza’s face. “It’s been eight years, hasn’t it?”

“We’ll meet again, one day,” Axel said as he grabbed the handle of his axe. “I have to stay alive until that happens.”

“And after you meet?” Hamza asked him.

Axel lifted his battle axe singlehandedly and hoisted it on his shoulder like it weighed next to nothing. He then moved to stride out of the room.

“I’ll have different reason to stay alive,” Axel replied without hesitation.


	6. Chapter 6

It was nearing evening when the ship finally docked at Lagaard. Walking down the boarding plank, Lynus lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the glaring setting sun. It was in that moment that he realised how long it had been since he had stepped foot outside. The sun against his face, the wind in his hair felt incredible.

It was another stark reminder that they had done it. They had actually fled the stronghold of Lord Taksony’s mansion and they were free.

The town was nestled at the base of a large tree, the branches reaching high into the heavens, disappearing in the swirling clouds. It was Yggdrasil Labyrinth. The greatest mystery.

It loomed over the entire town, yet Lynus didn’t find it frightening. It was a beckon of hope, a signal of dreams.

“Wow!” Binah gasped as she smiled brightly, running a few steps forward to the town centre where a large water fountain was situated. “So this is Lagaard?”

“Don’t wander off too far, Binah,” Lynus chided lightly, his protective instincts still very potent.

“There are a lot of people here,” Lirit commented as he looked around at the bustling people, all of whom walked around them, none of them giving them a second glance.

“Perfect for us to blend in,” Rahas muttered, casting a suspicious gaze to their surroundings.

“It’s no surprise that it’s so bustling,” Lynus said as he pushed back a few wayward strands of his hair from his eyes. “The Labyrinth had been known for years, yet no one has been able to discover many of its secrets.”

Lirit looked interested. “How do you know about Lagaard, Lynus?”

“Hm? Ah, well, I remember hearing about it when I was young,” Lynus explained, smiling somewhat bashfully. But then his smile turned sad. “I made a promise…”

“A promise?”

“It…was a long time ago,” Lynus said softly, watching as Binah dragged Rahas over to the fountain, the female Troubadour absolutely fascinated by it. A sense of sorrow touched Lynus’s heart, yet there was also a sense of hope. As small as it was.

“My childhood best friend,” he went on to say. “We promised, should anything happen, that we would meet again here in Lagaard. He was going to become the strongest Landsknecht ever.”

“What’s his name?” Lirit asked him. “Maybe he’s here somewhere, waiting for you.”

Lynus smiled, although it did not quite reach his eyes. “That would be nice.”

“Well?” Lirit prodded, physically nudging him with his elbow. “What’s his name?”

“Axel.” It had been so long since Lynus had said his name aloud. He had said it many times before, but only in his dreams.

“Axel, huh?” Lirit said, nodding his head as if filing that piece of information away. “Well, I hope you two will meet up again. So you can be happy.”

Lynus turned to look at Lirit and found a small, hope-filled smile forming on his lips. “…I hope so, too.”

He really did. Although it had been eight long years, the Axel he remembered from childhood kept his promises. Axel had to be in Lagaard, somewhere. He would have done anything it took to get here. All Lynus needed to do was find him. No easy task in a town filled to the brim with explorers, but they were free now. They had time.

Lynus grasped at the strap of his bag. They will meet again.

“What should we do now?” Binah asked, pulling Lynus out of his thoughts.

“Let’s head to the inn,” Lynus replied, immediately returning to the task at hand. They were in Lagaard now. Time to get started on their fresh start. “That’s usually a good place to start. We can sort things out from there.”

“We’ll have to pay, though.”

“I have enough money,” Rahas stated as he motioned to the bag on his back. “Stole it from the old man.”

“Well, it should sustain us for a while,” Lynus said.

Although not all that fond of the word ‘stealing’ as that meant they were thieves and crooks. That was who Taksony’s loyal guards were in Lynus’ eyes. But after everything they’ve been through, it was only right that Taksony compensate by paying for them. It wasn’t like he was going to need it anymore…

“But it would be best if I could get a job somewhere,” Lynus went on to say as the small group began to follow the road signs directing them to the Inn. “A hospital, perhaps.”

It wasn’t like he could go into the labyrinth of anything. And it was important that they had some kind of sustainability.

“You’re a really good healer, Lynus,” Binah said as she skipped over to him, hooking her arm through his. “They’ll definitely hire you.”

Lynus smiled down at her. “Well, I hope so.”

“I could also dance and sing in the streets for coins,” Lirit said in thought. “I’ve done it before…” he suddenly trailed off, giving the silent indication that it was during one of his street performances that he was stolen to become a personal entertainer for Taksony.

Lynus wasn’t all that surprised, to be perfectly honest.

“Let’s worry about that tomorrow,” Lynus said quickly as they stepped into the reception area of the inn, not wanting Lirit to dwell on it anymore. “It’s been a long journey, so let’s just rest for the night.”

As soon as those words left Lynus’ lips, a middle age woman, quite portly and motherly but tall and large nonetheless, appeared before them. Her appearance was so sudden that Binah and Lirit grabbed onto Lynus’ arms in fright while Rahas tensed, his hand seeking out his whip.

“Welcome, sweeties!” she greeted loudly, smiling broadly.

Seeing that she wasn’t a threat, Lynus smiled at his three companions before turning his full attention to the older woman before them.

“Ah, hello,” he said as Lirit and Binah reluctantly relinquished their grips on his arms and Rahas relaxing. “We’re looking for a room to rent for a while. We’re, ah, new and not really explorers, so…”

“Room for four?” the woman asked as she walked over to the front counter and opened a large book where she, no doubt, kept her records of which room was occupied or not. “Sure thing, darl. Let’s see, room three is free! Not explorers? That’s ok, it’s only 20 en!”

“Thank you very much,” Lynus said as he reached into Rahas’ bag, pulling out the appropriate amount of money and exchanged it for the keys that he was offered.

“Not at all! Hoho! Room three is up the stairs to your right,” the Inn Keeper said as she pointed to a set of stairs to their right. She then turned to Lynus and the others, smiling warmly at them. “You can call me Matron. I’m the Inn Keeper, so if you need anything, let me know!”

“Thank you again,” Lynus said as they head toward the stairs where Matron had indicated.

“Oh, and welcome to Lagaard!”

Pushing the others up the stairs, Lynus gave the Inn Keeper a small wave, feeling utterly relieved by the warm and rather boisterous welcome. It was good for the others to realize and remember that not everyone was as cold and as cruel as Taksony and his minions.

“We look forward to living here.”

They had only just arrived, but it truly felt as though this town, this place, was going to be their new home. And they would be safe.

The room wasn’t large, but it was cosy with four single beds, a table and chair setting with a bowl of fresh fruit in the middle of the table and a two door closet in the corner.

Seeing the fruit immediately reminded Lynus and the others how hungry they were. They got a few pieces of bread to eat on the boat, but it was no cruise liner.

“How about we have something to eat and go to bed?” Lynus suggested. And it was immediately agreed upon.

As night fell, the four of them settled into their new room, Binah and Lirit talking about songs and music while Rahas sat by the window, looking outside, brooding to himself.

That night, after ensuring that everyone else had something to eat and were all right, Lynus slipped into the most comfortable bed he had experienced in a very, very long time. Sinking into the mattress, pulling the blankets over his shoulder as he rolled onto his side, he suddenly felt very, very tired. He didn’t get much sleep on the boat. He couldn’t bring himself to sleep. He was still edgy and high on adrenaline of what had happened.

But now, he found himself drifting off to sleep easily and quickly. And once again, his dreamt about that promise he made so long ago.

A promise that will come true. It will.


	7. Chapter 7

Lynus was awoken from his sleep by something jumping on his bed, startling him greatly when the weight settled on his legs. He immediately tensed and snapped his eyes open, spying a mass of pink hair, despite his eyes being bleary from sleep.

“Morning, Lynus!”

“Binah,” Lynus sighed, his body relaxing after realising that there wasn’t a threat. He lay back against the pillows and rubbed at his eyes with the palm of one hand. The young girl was lying on top of the sheets and across his legs. She was smiling brightly, kicking her legs in a carefree way.

Well, that was an unusual wake-up call. Starkly different to what Lynus had experienced before. It was good.

“You’re up early,” Lynus commented as he turned to look out the window for his bed was the closest. The sun appeared to have just risen, soft sunlight steaming through the buildings and trees surrounding the inn.

“Yeah, well,” Binah said as she shrugged, still kicking her legs. “I’m kinda hungry.”

Now that she mentioned it, Lynus was, too. “Maybe they’re serving breakfast downstairs?”

“…I didn’t want to go alone.”

“Well, I’m up now,” Lynus said as he sat up, nudging at Binah with his legs to allow him to get out of bed. She rolled over and continued to roll until she was off the bed. She didn’t hit the floor, though. She thankfully landed on her feet. She seemed quite excited and perky today.

“Ah, I’m up, too.”

Pushing back the sheets, Lynus placed his feet on the floor and smiled up at Lirit, the other Troubadour already dressed and clutching his lute, as usual. “Good morning, Lirit.”

Lirit returned the smile with a bright one of his own. “Morning!”

“Did you two sleep well?”

“Like a log,” Lirit replied, sounding undeniably happy about that.

“Yeah!” Binah immediately agreed as she jumped onto Lynus’ bed again. “These beds are comfy.”

“They certainly are,” Lynus said as he ran a hand through his light orange hair and reached for his white coat. As he did so, though, he noted that the fourth bed was empty. It had clearly been slept in, but empty nonetheless. “Where’s Rahas?”

“He left earlier,” Lirit answered, fiddling absentmindedly with the strings of his lute. “He said he wanted to train.”

Lynus felt a sense of fear touch him. “He’s not going to try to enter the Labyrinth alone, is he?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Lirit said, shaking his head. “He went into the forest, though.”

“I see…” Lynus sighed, not entirely pleased. But there wasn’t anything he could do about it. While it was good that Rahas was embracing his newfound freedom, he just hoped that he wouldn’t do anything too reckless. “I hope he at least got something to eat.”

That boy was skinny enough as it was.

“What are you going to do today?” Lirit asked.

“Well, I thought I’d visit the hospital,” Lynus said as he tugged on his black boots, taking on the appearance of a medic. “With the Labyrinth and this many explorers wandering around, I might be able to get a job there or something. I have to find it first, though.”

“Maybe you should ask the Inn lady?” Binah suggested.

“I think I will,” Lynus said, smiling when he recalled the older woman at the front desk. “After breakfast, though.”

Leaving the room, the three headed downstairs, following the noise of people talking and eating utensils hitting plates. It was clear that breakfast was in full swing so they better move quickly before all the food is gone. They needed worry, though. Stepping into the food hall, there was a gorgeous breakfast buffet, weary explorers already eagerly digging into their foods.

Lynus helped Binah and Lirit get their plates, ensuring that they get enough food that was good for them, while also allowing them to try different things as they never had the luxury to do so under Taksony’s iron control. There were toasted bread, scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, and all kinds of fruit.

“Don’t eat too quickly, Binah,” Lynus lightly chided when Binah began to eat her food like a starved animal the moment they sat down at a vacant table. “Slow down and enjoy it.”

“But it tastes sooo good!”

Lynus chuckled softly as he, too, began to eat the food off his plate, of which was as delicious as it looked. Far better than anything he cooked. He was a medic, not a chef.

It didn’t take long until his plate was empty. “I haven’t eaten this much in years,” Lynus muttered, feeling satisfied as he began to sip his tea.

“Um, Lynus?” Lirit said as he gently tugged at the sleeve of Lynus’ coat.

“Hm?”

“Is it ok if I wander around town?”

Lynus paused for a moment before shrugging and smiling. “If that is what you want.”

Lirit’s expression immediately brightened. “Really?”

“We’re free now, Lirit,” Lynus said with a smile as he reached over to ruffle Lirit’s hair that was similar to his own.

“I’m…gonna hang around here, at the Inn,” Binah said, her voice low and soft, almost inaudible around the fork pressed against her lips. “I don’t like everyone leaving, though.”

Lynus finished his tea and set the cup down. It was obvious, that despite Binah’s outward excitement at doing something new, she was still uneasy and frightened. They, after all, only had each other to rely on. There was only the four of them that managed to make it, to escape.

And now that they had their freedom, they all seem to want different things. It was all very unnerving for her. Although she would never verbally admit to it as much. After all, feeling frightened was a weakness, and weaknesses can be exploited.

“I’ll come back during the day to check up on you,” Lynus said gently as he smiled at her.

Binah looked up from her plate, turning a pair of somewhat misty eyes in his direction. “You promise?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll come back as well,” Lirit said as he stood up, his lute once again closed to him. “I won’t be long.”

“Ok,” Binah said, looking more reassured and relaxed than before.

As Lynus moved to stand up as well, he reached over and gently patted Binah on the head, making the girl relax further.

With breakfast over for the day, Lynus lead Binah back to their room, once again reassuring her that he’ll return later. He then made his way back down the stairs, toward the reception area. Obviously being new to the area, he needed to ask the Inn Keeper, or Matron, a few questions. If anyone could give him directions, it would be her.

But reaching the reception, he found it empty. He could hear the murmuring of voices, though, so he headed in that general direction. At the end of a hallway was a door. The voices seemed to be coming from inside.

“Um, excuse me-?” Lynus said as he knocked on the door lightly.

However, the door unexpectedly slammed open, almost knocking him back and off his feet. Lynus tensed, his hands immediately flying up to grasp at the strap of his bag, a habit of his he did whenever surprised or nervous.

“My precious little girl!” Matron practically bellowed, she being the one to throw open the door. “Don’t worry, mama will take care of you!”

“Wah!” Lynus managed to scramble out of the larger woman’s way, his back hitting the wall behind him.

“Mama will find a doctor and bring him back to mah baby girl!”

“Doctor?” Lynus questioned and immediately be fell into his role as a medic. “What’s wrong?”

He tried to question the Inn Keeper, but she didn’t appear to be listening. Not that it was much of a surprise, really. She mentioned ‘Mama’ and ‘baby girl’, so she was obviously talking about her daughter. And some parents, from what he read anyway, tend to gain tunnel vision when it came to getting help for their children.

Tightening his grip on his bag, Lynus peered into the room that Matron came bursting out of. It was a bedroom and there was a young girl, probably younger than Binah, lying in bed. She had pink hair, a similar shade as Binah’s. She also had a white cloth resting against her forehead, her face flushed a deep red.

From first sight, Lynus assumed that she had a fever. A rather bad one.

“Excuse me?” Lynus said as he lingered in the doorway, unsure if he should enter. Although he wanted to offer his assistance, he also knew that sometimes people didn’t want any help. He couldn’t successful heal anyone if they didn’t want it.

Slowly, the girl opened her eyes and gazed at him. “…Who are you?” she asked, her voice slightly breathless.

“I’m…a Medic,” Lynus said as he stepped inside, venturing closer. “Aren’t you feeling well? You’re mother seems very worried.”

The girl gave a weak giggle. “Mama is always fussing,” she said, smiling. “I just feel a little unwell.”

“My name is Lynus,” Lynus introduced himself as he lifted his bag off of his shoulder and setting it on the floor. “What’s yours?”

“Becky.”

“You seem to have a fever,” Lynus murmured as he slowly reached forward, showing that he wasn’t a threat and gently touched her forehead with his hand. She felt hot and her skin was clammy. He frowned. It was a pretty high fever and fevers were usually the sign of an infection somewhere.

Still, going to a place like a hospital probably wouldn’t do much good. They would do nothing more than what she could receive at home, under the care of her mother. Besides, Lynus could get rid of the fever with a Refresh spell himself.

“Here,” Lynus said as he kept his hand against Becky’s forehead. “This will make you feel better.”

He then uttered the Refresh spell. A gentle green light engulfed his hand, causing that familiar tingling sensation to run through his fingers. A warmth appeared before dissipating quickly.

“…Hmm,” the young girl murmured as she closed her eyes. “Your hand feels nice.”

“How do you feel?” Lynus asked as the glow subsided.

Becky was silent for a moment before she blinked open her eyes and unexpectedly sat up. She still looked pale, yet with a light red flush to her cheeks, but she did look marginally better than before.

“My head doesn’t hurt anymore,” she said, sounding somewhat surprised.

“That’s good,” Lynus said, genuinely satisfied.

Before Lynus could ask if she got sick often, Matron returned with a rather large medical kit under one arm, and a dish of water in the other. Lynus jumped slightly and tried to keep out of her way.

“Hold on baby-!” Matron said, no doubt about to launch into a spiel about how she’ll take care of her, like any protective mother would do. But she paused suddenly, just realising that Becky was no longer lying in bed, but was sitting up. “Oh?”

“I’m feeling ok now, mama, don’t worry,” Becky said reassuringly to her mother before turning to look at Lynus. “This nice medic helped me.”

Matron blinked and turned to look at Lynus as well. “Hm?”

Lynus began to fidget nervously under their combined stares. “Ah, well…”

“Aren’t you a sweetheart!” Matron suddenly exclaimed, dropping what she had been holding to throw her arms around Lynus in a hug, crashing him against her bosom. “Thank you for saving my precious baby!”

Being much smaller, thinner and weaker than Matron, Lynus could only flail about for the briefest of moments before he was caught tightly in her arms that were practically squeezing the life out of him. “…can’t breathe…”

“Mama?” Becky said. “You should let him go.”

As sudden as the hug of gratitude occurred, it ended, Matron dropping Lynus like a sack of potatoes. Lynus managed to stay of his feet, although on shaky legs, as he leaned against the wall, gasping in a deep breath.

“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Matron asked her daughter gently, allowing Lynus time to gather himself.

“I’m ok,” Becky once again reassured.

“You should stay in bed today just in case,” Matron stated as she felt her forehead before tucking the sheets around her in a motherly way.

“That would be a good idea,” Lynus agreed, getting the slight feeling that Becky was prone to sickness. “There is usually a reason for a fever to set in. Just take it easy for the day.”

“Ok…” Becky said, looking slightly downcast as he mother fussed about before quickly exiting, saying something about getting some food to boaster her health further.

“Being stuck in bed all day isn’t fun, is it?” Lynus commented as he hefted his bag onto his shoulder. “Must be lonely.”

“I’ll be ok,” Becky replied, trying to sound reassuring. As if she didn’t want to cause any more fuss.

Seeing her looking lonely gave Lynus an idea, though.

“Wait a minute,” he said with a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

Quickly leaving the room, Lynus jogged toward the room that Binah was staying in. Although Binah wasn’t sick in bed, she was also feeling lonely. Perhaps the two could keep each other company. And it would be good for Binah to make new friends.

“Binah?”

“Lynus!” Binah skipped over to him the moment he stepped into the room. “That was quick.”

“I haven’t left yet,” Lynus said before taking Binah by the shoulder. “Listen, I wonder if you could do something for me.”

Binah tilted her head to the side in curiosity. “Huh?”

“Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Binah asked as she grabbed Lynus’ arm, sticking close to him as they moved through the inn.

“Don’t worry, it’s just in here,” Lynus said as he returned to Becky’s room, the young girl still sitting up in bed. She had been looking out the window with a resigned expression on her face. But when she turned to look at her visitors, her expression brightened considerably when her gaze fell on Binah.

“Becky, I’m back,” Lynus said as he pushed Binah into the room in front of him, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I’d like you to meet my little sister, Binah. Binah, this is Becky. She’s not feeling well; do you think you can keep each other company?”

“R-really?” Becky stuttered, looking hopeful.

Binah looked up at Lynus and blinked. However, a mere moment later, a look of happiness appeared in her eyes and she smiled brightly. “Ok!” she said as she willingly removed herself from Lynus’ hold and over to Becky’s bedside.

“Are you a Troubadour?” Becky asked rather excitedly.

“Yep!” Binah replied, but then pouted. “I don’t have an instrument of my own, though.”

“I…have a Tamborine,” Becky said, pointing over to her desk. “You can have it if you want.”

“Really?!” Binah squealed with delight.  
   
Lynus smiled as he watched the two interact, immediately satisfied that he made the right decision. “I have to get going now. I’ll come back in a little while to see how you are feeling.”

“T-thank you,” Becky said, looking at him with sincere gratitude.

“Bye, Lynus!” Binah said, just as happy as she played with her new instrument.

Lynus stepped out of the room, closing the door with a soft click behind him. He felt much better knowing that Binah wasn’t going to be alone anymore. The two of them seem to be getting on like a house on fire. It was good for her to make friends with another girl. And hopefully she’ll get to know Matron as well. Perhaps she could be a mother figure for her as Binah never really had one.

Well, one down. Hopefully Lirit will find a place to allow him to sing, helping him to move on from his short stint under Taksony’s control.

And Rahas…

He wasn’t sure how he could help Rahas, yet. Out of them all, Rahas had been through the most. He was…damaged and hurt. And was struggling to find reason to continue to fight.

“I hope he’ll be ok,” Lynus murmured to himself.

He was so deep in his thoughts that it wasn’t until he walked into someone did he realise that he had been walking around mindlessly. He made a soft noise of surprise before jumping back, an apology immediately tumbling from his lips.

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

Looking up, he realised that he had actually walked into another man and tensed when he realised that he appeared to be a Ronin.

And his expression was rather blank, yet ominous as he slowly turned to face Lynus.


	8. Chapter 8

Lynus couldn’t help but wince when the man he unintentionally walked into while he was deep in thought turned to face him.

He appeared to be a dark-haired Ronin. He was quite tall and appeared older than Lynus by a few years. His eyes were a piercing gold and his expression rather stoic. With a strange blade by his side, a large cross shape scar on his chest and shiny gold arm guards on his arms, he was quite intimidating.

“I’m sorry for bumping into you,” Lynus said as he grasped at the strap of his bag and hunched his shoulders. “I was just thinking, and…”

The man continued to look at him, his gaze unwavering. Almost as if he was studying him. “It’s fine,” he finally said and folded his arms over his chest. “Are you new here?”

“Y-yes,” Lynus answered, feeling uneasy and vulnerable under his gaze. “Is there a hospital or some m-medical practice nearby? Y-you see I’m-”

“Are you a Medic?” he abruptly cut him off.

“Y-yes,” Lynus stuttered again. “That’s right.”

“…Yes, there is a hospital nearby,” the Rounin said as he abruptly unfolded his arms, letting one drop to his side while the other rested casually on the hilt of his blade. “I will lead you to it.”

Lynus reeled his head back slightly in surprise. He was expecting maybe a few directions, but not an escort. He wasn’t going to deny him, though. “O-oh, thank you.”

The Ronin turned his back to him, but glanced over his shoulder, keeping an eye on him. “This way.”

“O-ok.”

But before they could begin to walk, Matron appeared with a tray of food in her hands. When she spotted Lynus, she smiled. “Oh, are you leaving?” she asked, pausing in her steps. “Is my precious little girl going to be ok?”

“Yes, she’ll be just fine,” Lynus replied as he slipped into caretaker mode. “My sister is keeping her company.”

“How sweet,” Matron cooed, looking undeniably pleased. “It’s good for Becky to make new friends.”

“For Binah as well,” Lynus said as he shifted his bag on his shoulder anxiously. “Excuse me; I’m heading out for the day. Do you mind if you could watch over Binah for me? She doesn’t like being alone.”

“Of course!” Matron immediately replied. “Such a darling she is to be keeping my Becky company. Are you looking for work at the hospital?”

“Hopefully,” Lynus said as he shrugged awkwardly.

“Oh, Dr Stiles is a wonderful man,” Matron went on to say. “He’s always looking for talented healers. You would be a most welcomed addition.”

Lynus felt somewhat relieved. “Ah, that’s good to hear.”

“Do you know the way?”

“Well…”

“I am escorting him there,” the Ronin spoke up.

“Ah, Shen,” Matron grinned, as if just realising that he was there. She clearly knew him and wasn’t remotely intimidated by him. Although, she probably wasn’t intimidated by anyone. “That’s good to hear.”

“We’ll go over there now,” Lynus said, bowing his head slightly out of habit. “Excuse me.”

“Thanks so very much for your help, sweetie!” Matron called as Lynus began to follow the Ronin now known as Shen through the inn. “I’ll cook you a big dinner tonight. Need to fatten you up!”

Lynus found himself having a short laugh as he waved over her shoulder at Matron. “Sure!” he replied before turning to face forward, looking at Shen’s scar covered back. “Ah…” he muttered, still feeling awkward and intimidated by the Ronin’s presence. “Thank you for showing me the way.”

“Not a problem,” Shen was quick to reply, glancing over his shoulder at him for a brief moment before facing the front again.

For some reason Lynus began to relax after that. Well, Shen’s appearance made him intimidating, that was for sure. But he didn’t seem so bad. After all, he was going out of his way to show him the hospital, right?

Making sure to keep a respectable closeness to Shen, Lynus surveyed his surroundings as Shen lead him through the town. He noted the landmarks and directions for reference in the future. He also noted how beautiful the town was in the shadow of the large tree that was the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.

Looking up at the Yggdrasil tree, it astounded Lynus when he was reminded once again that he really was in Lagaard.

It almost didn’t seem real.

“This is the hospital,” Shen stated, stopping abruptly.

Lynus managed to stop himself from running into him again and stumbled around him. When he straightened his posture, he looked up at the large white building that was situated at the crest of a hill, overlooking the town. He could see people rushing about, fellow medics in white jackets flitting in and out.

He felt slightly nervous. Hopefully he’ll be able to fit in here. He never really worked with another medic before.

“Thanks again for showing the way,” Lynus said as he turned to face Shen, the other man as stoic and silent as when he first met him. “I’ll find a way to repay you.”

Shen turned those eyes toward him again. “…What’s your name?”

“Oh, it’s…Lynus.”

Again, Shen seemed to simply stare at him in a studying way. This time, though, his brow was slightly furrowed. After a few intense moments of silence, Shen finally shook his head, as if to clear it.

“As you know, I am Shen,” he said, turning to face away from him. “All I ask from you is to take care of any of my guild members should you meet them.”

“Of course,” Lynus immediately agreed, not at all surprised that he was a part of a guild. “What is the name of your guild?”

“The Guardians.”

“I’ll remember that,” Lynus said, bowing slightly as the Ronin walked away.

Lynus watched until him leave for a little while before turning to face the hospital. Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, he quickly made his way up the stairs, noting with increasing alarm that there were a lot of people running around.

Stepping inside, he was bombarded with the smell of blood, disinfectant and…the sea?

“Hello?” Lynus said nervously, trying to gain someone’s attention.

There were so many injured explorers. They were everywhere. Some sitting on chairs or on the floor, while others were on beds or lying on the floor. Yet, they didn’t seem like injuries one would sustain in a place like the Labyrinth. He would know. He was often left with the task of cleaning up the guards whom had ventured into the labyrinth and met a powerful FOE.

Frowning as he watched an elderly woman being whisked away on a stretcher. She didn’t look like an explorer. Lynus then spotted a man with brown hair who appeared to be barking orders. The way the other medics seem to regard him, he was someone of importance.

So Lynus approached him. “Excuse me-?”

But before Lynus could even explain himself and offer his assistance, the man spun around. “Are you a Medic?” he asked him abruptly and tersely.

Lynus straightened his posture on reflex. “Yes!”

“Perfect!” the man said, slapping his hand on Lynus’ shoulder before literally shoving him toward a ward, barely giving Lynus enough time to glance at his name tag. “I need you to take care of these patients for me. We’re being swamped at the moment.”

“I understand,” Lynus said as he dutifully stepped forward. “I’ll do my best.”

Stepping into the overrun ward, Lynus immediately heard the heart-wrenching wail of a woman. He snapped his attention toward the sound to see a young mother hovering over the form of a young child.

“Hold on, baby, please!” the woman begged, giving the unresponsive child a desperate shake.

A young female nurse with blond hair was nearby, wringing her hands in helplessness. “S-sorry, but s-she…”

“No! She can’t be!”

“The poor thing…” Lynus murmured under his breath. Such a small child. Barely two years, from what he could tell. So young. It wasn’t fair.

“Hm.” A strong sense of determination began to simmering in his chest. Without a second thought, Lynus crossed the distance and appeared by the child’s bedside, pushing past the nurse that was already there. “Excuse me.”

“H-huh?” the nurse muttered, clearly surprised by his intrusion. “Who are-?”

Lynus wasn’t really listening to her questions, though. He was focused. He had saved many from the brink of death before. He gave Taksony eight years of life. If he had any healing talent at all, let it show now.

“Let me,” he said as he carefully picked the limp and cold child in his arms. He turned the baby over, leaning the little girl over his arm, her head slightly down. He placed a hand on her back, between her shoulder blades and closed his eyes. He could sense that she was still alive. Just barely hanging in there. And she had water in her lungs.

He needed to dispel the water and open her airway. He had to move quickly and gently.

He used a combination of Cure, Refresh and CPR to push the water from her lungs and bring in much needed air. Muttering the spells in quick succession, he gave a light push with the palm of his hand. As he did so the little girl lurched and stream of water and bodily fluids fell from her mouth onto the bed.

“That’s it,” Lynus muttered as he cast another cure spell to ease her distress but prompting her to keep coughing in order to dispel all of the water. “Easy now.”

“Oh thank god,” the young mother wept as her little girl let out a cry. “Thank god.”

Water, huh? Would explain why he could smell the sea when he walked in. Were they involved in a boating accident?

“She’ll need to be monitored for liquid on the lungs,” Lynus said as he handed the child back to her grateful mother, who immediately cradled her baby against her chest, holding her protectively. “But I think she’ll be ok,” he added, offering her a smile.

“Thank you,” the woman uttered, gently rocking her baby. “Thank you so much.”

“Are you hurt? Let me see,” Lynus said, focusing his attention on her. He could see that she had minor cuts and scrapes herself. Mostly on her arms and legs. But she seemed reluctant to relinquished her grip on her daughter, afraid that if she let go, she’ll lose her

“I understand your concerns,” Lynus said gently. “But you need to be of full health for your baby, right?”

The mother turned tear-filled eyes in his direction. It took a moment for the words to sink in and slowly she nodded her head. “Y-yes.”

Lynus carefully took the child and laid her down onto the bed, resting her head onto the pillow. He made no attempt to usher the mother to another bed as he knew she wouldn’t. So he settled for curing her on the spot. It shouldn’t take much.

“This won’t hurt, I promise,” he said as placed his hands on her right arm, casting another cure spell. He did the same for her other arm and then her legs. The cuts rapidly healed within the green healing light and vanished.

There. The only thing ailing her now was exhaustion. Only sleep could heal that.

“Thank you so much,” the mother said as she sat down on the edge of her daughter’s bed, having calmed down considerably.

“It’s no problem,” Lynus replied as he moved to distance himself, allowing her to comfort her child, relishing in the fact that she was still alive.

Lynus than spared a moment to glance over at the nurse, who of which looked absolutely flabbergasted. “How did you-? Who-?”

“Sorry,” Lynus said as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder. “I’m new here. My name is Lynus.”

“Oh, I’m Angie,” she replied, still looking surprised. “Does Dr Stiles know you’re here?”

“The tall man with dark brown hair with a badge saying Stiles? Yeah, he knows.”

Angie seemed relieved by that. “Oh, good,” she sighed.

“What’s going on?” Lynus asked as he looked around, noting the other patients.

“A shipwreck, apparently,” Angie enlightened. “I don’t really know much else, though…”

“I see,” Lynus muttered. That actually explained a lot.

Before he could ask any more questions, though, another wave of casualties were brought in on stretches by what appeared to be knights and guards. Looked like he had a long day ahead of him.

“Sorry, I need you to give me a quick tour,” Lynus said as he turned to Angie. In order for him to heal properly, it would be best if he knew where all the medical equipment was situated.

“Uh, ok,” Angie muttered.

Hours quickly passed and Lynus had seen to countless casualties. He didn’t know the exact number, but that wasn’t important. He did his duty. He tended to them, eased them of their suffering and then moved on to another patient.

Finally, those in need began to dwindle. Those who had been healed have moved on and left, and those who were plagued with far more serious injuries were in beds, under supervision. No more healing was needed at the moment.

The medical staff could finally catch their breath.

“Whew, we’ve finally got things under control,” Dr Stiles murmured tiredly as he removed a surgical mask from his face.

“My legs are aching…” Angie whimpered from where she was slumped on the floor.

Lynus leaned against a wall as he sighed wearily. His legs were also sore, his feet aching from standing up and running around all day, for hours.

Still, despite feeling so tired and achy, he felt a sense of accomplishment. Healing people, strangers he had never met before and probably will never meet again was rewarding. The look of utter relief and gratitude on that young mother’s face as her daughter spluttered back to life was something that Lynus won’t forget any time soon. Although they were at their lowest point, their most vulnerable, Lynus felt pleased that he was able to help them through it.

That’s what being a Medic was all about, wasn’t it? He had almost forgotten what it felt like to heal others because he wanted to.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Dr Stiles suddenly stated, pulling Lynus from his thoughts. “I didn’t get your name.”

“My name is Lynus.”

“I’m known as Doctor Stiles,” he introduced himself, offering his hand in order for Lynus shake. Lynus looked at the hand for a moment before he pushed himself away from the wall and took Dr Stiles hand in his.

“You’ve already met Angie,” he continued. “Thank you so much for your help today.”

“Glad that I could help,” Lynus replied truthfully.

“Are you a part of a guild?” Angie asked him as Lynus dropped his grip on Dr Stiles’ hand.

“No, I’m new in Lagaard,” Lynus answered, quickly realising what a busy first day he’s had. “Arrived here yesterday, actually.”

“Really?”

“Well, that explains why I haven’t seen you around here before,” Dr Stiles said with a smile. “I most certainly would remember a talented medic like you.”

“Oh, ah, thanks,” Lynus said, somewhat embarrassed by the compliment.

“Could I interest in a job here, since you’re not part of a guild?” Dr Stiles went on to ask.

“Yeah!” Angie was quick to agree, seeming enthusiastic for more support. “Your healing skills are amazing!”

Lynus laughed softly. “That’s actually the reason I came here in the first place.”

“Perfect. You’re hired,” Dr Stiles grinned. “No surprise, really.”

“Thank you so much!”


	9. Chapter 9

The sun was starting to set when Lynus staggered home, exhausted and hungry. He was feeling fulfilled and satisfied, though. It was something he hadn’t felt in such a long time. When he was forced to heal Taksony, he was left with a sense of bitterness, his hands numb and cold.

But it was different now. His hands felt warm, although slightly tingly. The people that he had helped today really needed it and were grateful for any and every healing they had received.

“I’m back,” Lynus said as he walked back into their rented room.

“Lynus!” Lirit greeted from his bed where he had been practicing with his lute. He was the only one inside the room surprisingly. “Welcome back. You were gone for a while.”

“Um, yeah, sorry about that,” Lynus said as he shifted his medical bag from his shoulder and dropped it unceremoniously onto the foot of his bed. “I managed to get a job at the hospital straight away.”

“You’ve been working ever since?” Lirit questioned, tilting his head cutely to the side, slightly surprised.

“There was a ship-wreck just off the coast of here,” Lynus enlightened as he placed his hand on his shoulder, rolling it to ease out the cramps. “So not only did they have injured explorers, but travellers, too.”

Lirit winced in sympathy. “Tough first day.”

“It’s fine,” Lynus said as he gave a half chuckle. A busy day was better than a slow one. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. How about you? Did you have fun looking around town?”

“Yeah, I did, actually,” Lirit said, his expression brightening. “There’s a few strange people, but they seem nice enough.”

That shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Explorers were notorious for being quirky. “That’s good to hear.”

“I found a place where I can sing,” Lirit told him happily, seemingly pleased that he could contribute to their new fresh start. “The owner said it was alright to keep the patrons entertained. That way, you won’t have to work so hard.”

Lynus smiled softly. It was touching that Lirit was worried about him. But it was more reassuring that Lirit was relishing in their newfound freedom and hadn’t been scarred about singing again. Out of the four of them, Lirit had only been under Taksony’s control for a very short time, so it was no surprise that he was able to adapt so easily.

Still, it was good to see.

“Have you’ve eaten anything?” Lynus asked, changing the subject.

“Not yet. I mean, I’ve eaten during the day,” Lirit was quick to justify when Lynus turned to give him a slight look of parental disapproval. It was ok for Lynus to skip meals during the day, but he refused to let anyone else do the same.

“Supper is starting soon, though.”

Good. He was starving.

“Let’s go get something to eat then,” Lynus said as he headed toward the door, indicating for Lirit to follow him. But before that, he better check on Binah and Becky. Hopefully the young girl’s fever would have dissipated by now.

“Have you seen Binah?” Lynus asked as they walked down the stairs.

“She’s with the Inn Keeper’s daughter,” Lirit answered. “She’s been there all day, from what I understand.”

“Good,” Lynus nodded, sincerely pleased about that. “At least she hasn’t been lonely.” Like she would have been if she stayed cooped up in their room all day long. “Still, I better go check on her. Why don’t you wait in the dining hall? I won’t be long.”

“Sure,” Lirit dutifully replied before moving to join the crowd of explorers looking for something to eat while Lynus went in the opposite direction.

Reaching the door at the end of the hall, finding it slightly ajar, Lynus gave a light knock before pushing the door open. The moment he did, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist once more. The arms were familiar, yet they weren’t subtly trembling with fear like so many times in the past.

“Lynus!” Binah greeted happily.

“Hello Binah,” Lynus said with a smile as he gave Binah a soft pat on the head. He then turned to Becky, who was still sitting in bed. Her pale appearance when he first seen her was replaced with a healthier flush. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling better,” Becky was quick to answer. She placed her hand on her forehead and then pushed her hair back. “See?”

With Binah having released her grip on him, Lynus stepped forward and touched Becky’s forehead with the back of his hand. “Your fever is gone. That’s good,” he said, pleased. “Have either of you had anything to eat?”

“Mama’s been bringing in food all day,” Becky answered as she allowed her bangs to fall down when Lynus removed his hand.

“Chocolate chip cookies,” Binah suddenly muttered with a dreamy look on her face. “I’ve never had anything so tasty…”

Lynus gave a soft laugh. “I see.”

A moment later Matron entered the room with a tray full of food, no doubt supper for the two girls. “Meal time, sweeties!” she cooed before realising that Lynus was also there. “Oh good, you’re back! Supper is commencing in the dining hall, but I have a special meal just for you!”

Once again Lynus found himself releasing a sincere laugh. “I’m looking forward to it.”

... ... ... ... ...

To say that supper was a treat would be an understatement. Lynus had never eaten so much in his life. When Matron said she was going to fatten him up, she wasn’t kidding. He did get a lot of envious looks from the other patrons, though, which Lirit found rather amusing.

Lirit and Binah had retired to their room after eating. But Lynus had opted to stay up a little longer. Neither of the two had seen Rahas all day and Lynus was worried. He hoped the Dark Hunter wasn’t doing anything reckless, placing himself in unnecessary danger. Honestly, wasn’t being under constant watch by Taksony’s cronies enough? There was no need to actively seek trouble.

Despite being tired, it was near midnight when Rahas finally staggered through the doors, trying to move as quietly as he could. Lynus heard him, though. He was waiting for him in a small room near the reception area, so there was no way Rahas could get inside without him seeing.

Unless, of course, he climbed in through a window somewhere.

If Lynus didn’t get through to him tonight that he didn’t have to be so harsh on himself, then Rahas may resort to just that.

“Rahas,” Lynus called out from where he was sitting on a large plush coach. There was a sense of disapproval in his voice and his posture.

Rahas spun around to face him, slightly surprised. But that was quickly overshadowed by a look of defiance. “What?”

“Were you training all day?”

“Yeah,” Rahas answered sharply, folding his arms over his chest.

Lynus sat there in silence, studying him. He could see some minor scrape and cuts on his arms, obvious signs that he had been training harshly. And he seemed to have a very slight limp. Something easily missed by the untrained eye. And from what Lynus could see, he didn’t like.

“You shouldn’t push yourself like that,” Lynus said with a sigh as he heaved himself to his feet.

“I have to get stronger,” Rahas muttered with a lingering sense of defiance.

Lynus found himself sighing again. “But Rahas, you don’t have to push yourself so harshly,” he said as he walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Listen, I’ve managed to get a job at the hospital. Binah has made a new friend with the Inn Keeper’s daughter. And Lirit has found a place that will allow him to sing. We’re safe here.”

“But what if we’re not?” Rahas practically hissed.

“We-”

Before Lynus could offer some words of gentle reassurance, Rahas’ eyes flashed dangerously. He moved with amazing speed to snare both Lynus’ wrists in his hands. What felt like a split second later, Lynus felt his back slam up against the wall behind him with his wrists pinned on either side of his head.

Lynus sucked in a deep breath of air, holding it when he found himself staring straight into Rahas’ eyes. There was an emotion deep within their depths that he hadn’t seen before, let alone describe.

It was slightly frightening, if he were to be honest.

“I wasn’t strong enough before,” Rahas said, his voice low, barely above a whisper. “I couldn’t protect you from that bastard. And because of that, you…”

He then paused, a flash of pain appearing in his eyes and across his face. He looked off to the side for a moment. He seemed to be having some sort of mental struggle. Lynus quickly realised what he were referring to, about how he had to…kill Taksony.

He hadn’t realised how much it was affecting Rahas.

“It’s not going to happen again,” he said, abruptly turning to look directly into Lynus’ eyes again. “Avith won’t let go so easily. I know he won’t.”

“R…Rahas?” Lynus breathed shakily, feeling both vulnerable and small.

“I’ll protect you. And the others. No matter what.” As abruptly as he had pinned him to the wall, Rahas relinquished his grip, letting Lynus go. He took a step back, this time refusing to look into eyes. “I’m going to bed. I’m going be training again tomorrow.”

He then quickly disappeared, fleeing up the stairs.

Feeling strangely weak, Lynus slid down the wall to the ground and sat there for a moment to catch his breath. It was not from fear, though, but from something else. He felt helpless. The pain that Rahas was experiencing wasn’t something he could heal.

There…there was nothing he could do.

And that made him feel useless. What good was a healer if he couldn’t heal someone’s pain and suffering?

... ... ... ... ...

As leaves of autumn, brown and gold, rained down around him, Axel felt his eyebrow twitch in minor annoyance. Sure, the scenery was beautiful and instilled a sense of awe, the second stratum vastly different to the first. But it was hard to enjoy it as the explorer he had just rescued began to squirm in his grip.

Glancing over his right shoulder, he looked down at a fellow Landsknecht, a slightly older man with blue hair and red eyes. “Would you stop squirming?” he chided, tightening his grip on the collar of the guy’s shirt, literally dragging him backwards through the winding pathways.

“Hmph!” the other Landsknecht muttered, folding his arms over his chest, trying to look strong and defiant, despite the way his heels were leaving impressive drag lines behind him. “You’re still my rival. Don’t think that’s changed after you saved my life.”

Axel only sighed in exasperation.

This was something that was common for Axel and his team. Guild Cosmos, as they called themselves, were considered a rival team, although Axel didn’t see them as rivals as there were only three members. He found them annoying, especially Simmons, the Landsknecht he was dragging.

He would appear out of the blue, demanding a battle between two mighty warriors, only for Axel to easily kick his ass. You see, every time Simmons would ‘challenge’ him, he would be in the mood not to deal with any shit.

Damn idiot had the worst timing. And luck. His whole guild did, actually.

“I can’t believe we got saved by the Guardians again…” A blond haired gunner whined from where she was being carried like a sack of potatoes over Hamza’s shoulder. She was covered head to toe in dirt and was wearing a look of pure disgruntlement.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be so reckless,” Hamza said, his voice stern.

“We’re getting tired of saving your asses,” Axel added.

“We didn’t ask you to save our asses.”

Axel turned to look over his left shoulder, looking down at another gunner. An older man called Gerald, who had a five o’clock shadow and a look of utterly distain on his face. That look was because Axel was dragging him in the same way he was dragging Simmons. And he was doing it effortlessly.

“Oh, ok, how about we go back and you finish that Trigourd by yourself?” Axel asked him with a rather malicious grin on his lips.

“That won’t be necessary!” Tiffany, the only female of the group, practically squeaked. She seemed to gather herself after a moment, coughing into her hand. “I mean, there’s no point, since we’ve come all this way.”

“A wise choice,” Hamza murmured, jostling her onto his shoulder.

“Here’s the Geomagnetic Field,” Axel said with relief as they entered a grotto where a stream of pink light circled skyward. Coming to a stop, he pulled Simmons around and lifted him up off the ground. “In you go.”

But instead of simply pushing him in, he kicked him in the ass, booting him into the pink light. Simmons released a sound that was almost like a “Wooo!” of pain before disappearing in the sparkling light. A still incredibly disgruntle Gerald followed closely behind with Tiffany, the two insisting that they could carry themselves and didn’t need any assistance.

“Our turn,” Hamza said as the three disappeared from view, turning to face his guild members.

“Finally.”


	10. Chapter 10

Restocking the bandage supply, Lynus listened absentmindedly as Angie chatted about the guilds and the members she knew. It was a slow day, surprisingly, so Lynus was making use of his time getting to know his new work place and reacquainting himself with equipment and stock.

“Everyone is talking about the Guardians,” Angie prattled on, a slight swoon in her voice.

“I’ve heard them, too,” Lynus murmured. Everyone he had encountered today had, indeed, mentioned The Guardians at some point. All of whom seemed to be either in awe or impressed.

The Guardians? That was the name of the Guild that Shen was a part of, wasn’t it? No surprise, really, that a Ronin of his calibre would be in a popular guild.

“The Guardians are super popular and talented guild,” Angie went on to explain. “Really strong!”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah!” Angie practically squealed, clasping her hands together in front of her. “I heard they’ve spent three days in the Labyrinth. Really impressive!”

Lynus laughed as he carefully folded away an arm sling. “A fan, huh?”

“Lynus, could you do me a favour?”

At the sound of Dr Stiles’ voice, Lynus immediately turned around and gave him his full attention. “Sure.”

“Could you take this request to the Stickleback Bar for me?” Dr Stiles asked him as he approached, holding a folded piece of paper in his hand. “I’d do it myself, but I have a few reckless adventurers to scold and lecture.”

Dr Stile abruptly glanced over his shoulder, his brow furrowed and his lips pulled into a tight frown. Lynus peered in the direction he was glaring it, sighting three rather haggard looking explorers. Two gunners and one Landsknecht. The trio quickly realised that they were being glared at by the head doctor and grimaced, the blue haired Landsknecht looking as if he wanted to hide someone.

“Ok,” Lynus chuckled, drawing Dr Stiles’ attention back toward him. “I’ll go do it now.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Dr Stiles said as a warm smile reappeared on his lips, offering the piece of paper for Lynus to take. “I’ll make sure you get a bonus for this.”

“Thanks very much!”

As he moved to leave, he grabbed his medical bag and slung it over his shoulder out of habit. He didn’t feel completely comfortable without the reassuring weight of his bag. For if there was some reason he wasn’t able to heal someone with his hands, he was assured that he had medicine that could do the job just as well.

Stepping outside into the midmorning sun, Lynus came to an abrupt realisation. He didn’t know where the Stickleback Bar was. But he could simply ask for directions, right? Newcomers were common place here.

The first store he came across was one called Sitoth Trading. It appeared to be a weapons store. A good a place as any.

Pushing the door open, Lynus found it unexpectedly empty. You’d think a store that made weapons and other items for the labyrinth would be overflowing with people. Maybe it was closed or something? But there was no sign on the door.

“Um, excuse me-?” Lynus timidly called out.

“Wah!”

Lynus jumped, grasping at the strap of his bag in surprise by the sudden scream of horror and fright. It came from someone from the back of the store. And from what he could deduce, it sounded like a young woman.

Suddenly, a young girl with brown in braids and a sunflower behind her ear appeared, flustered and panic stricken from the back of the shop. “I…I…I need a doctor!” she cried.

Lynus immediately went on alert. “What’s wrong?”

“P-Papa has hurt himself!” the young girl wailed. “I don’t know what to do!”

“What? Where is he?” Lynus asked as he hastily made his way over to the girl, placing his hands on her shoulders in effort to calm her down. “I’m a Medic, I’ll help him as much as I can.”

After hearing the word ‘Medic’, she calmed down considerably. She still had tears rolling down her cheeks, but she nodded her head and pointed to the back room. “H-he’s out the back.”

Clutching the strap of his medical bag tightly, Lynus followed the young woman further into the shop. Stepping into what he could describe as the forging room, he was greeted by a large, muscular man as he released a creative string of curses.

And he was holding his right wrist with his left hand. His right hand was the obvious point of injury.

“Papa!” the girl cried as she made her way over to him and began to flail, unsure of what to do. “There’s a medic here.”

“Eh?” the man grunted as he looked at his daughter with a slightly sceptical expression. “Where’d the hell you-?”

“I’m a Medic,” Lynus said as he took command of the situation, knowing that the man’s injury wasn’t immediately life threatening if he was standing up and swearing. “Please sit down.”

The man, surprised by Lynus’ appearance no doubt, plonked himself into a chair soundlessly after his daughter gave him a slight push. He stared at Lynus as he walked into the room, lifting his bag off his shoulder as he did.

“Please place your arm on the table,” he instructed as he dropped his bag onto an empty chair. “So I can look at your hand.”

Wordlessly, the man did as he was told, laying his arm onto the table, his palm rest up. He was either in a state of utter shock, or had been around Medics and doctors before, so knew that he was better to simply shut up and do as you’re told. He probably learnt that from Dr Stiles.

“Don’t move,” Lynus murmured as he placed on hand on the man’s wrist, subtly checking his pulse as the other carefully pulled back his fingers, allowing him better access to the injury. And he didn’t really like what he saw.

Great, an impalement. It wasn’t the worse he had ever seen, but any foreign object in the body could be life-threatening. Hopefully, the piece of metal (from a sword, by the shape of it) was clean and free of bacteria.

“What were you doing when this occurred?” Lynus asked as he let go of the man’s hand to dig around in his bag, looking for bandages and gauze. He also spied a pair of priers on the table and realised that they would be very useful for when he had to remove the piece of metal.

“Argh, I was forging a sword,” the man grunted, seemingly more annoyed than in pain, getting fidgety and moving his hand. “A right beaut, when a piece snapped of. Stupid little bastard stuck my hand, it did.”

“I said don’t move,” Lynus said tersely as he grabbed the man’s arm and held it down onto the table. He carefully unfurled the fingers to get a good look at the small piece of metal. It appeared sharp and smooth. No apparent jagged edges.

“The metal looks clean,” Lynus murmured, relieved. “Does it hurt?”

“Stinging like a bitch, it is.”

Lynus found himself rolling his eyes toward the ceiling in light amusement. That was one way of putting it. “I take it the metal is clean?”

The man scoffed, soundingly surprisingly haughty for someone with a piece of metal impaled in his hand. “Of course it is.”

“Good,” Lynus muttered, ready to get to work. “It will make this much easier.”

Climbing on top of the table and placing one knee on the man’s arm wasn’t exactly professional, but he needed a good leverage for when he removed the object. And he had to make sure that the man (whose name he still didn’t know) didn’t move at a crucial point. He didn’t want to do any more damage than had already been done.

Ok, what to do…?

He couldn’t cast a Cure spell at the moment as it would cause the skin around the impalement to etch back together, making it even more difficult and potentially dangerous to the veins and tendons. Not to mention painful to tear at the skin again.

The skin around the embedded object was starting to swell and turn red. It might be infected already. Or it could be his body’s immune system trying to attack the intruder. The best thing for him to do was to cast a Refresh spell, offering light, cooling comfort that would momentarily numb the area.

Then he would forcibly remove the object himself.

“I’m going to remove the metal and use a cure spell,” Lynus explained as he grabbed a pair of metal priers and adjusting them on the piece of metal to ensure he had a good grip. “Now, it is going to hurt, but you’ll feel instantly better when this object is removed, ok?”

The gruff man nodded, his jaw becoming tight as he clenched his teeth. His daughter, not wanting to see the object being removed, buried her face in her father’s large shoulder, her hands grapping tightly at his sleeve.

Lynus mentally counted back from three in his head. When he reached one, he tightened his grip on the priers and gave a sharp, hard tug. The piece of metal gave way, blood immediately beginning to pool in the palm. Lynus hastily dropped the priers, grabbing a handful of sanitised bandages in one hand while the other hovered above the wound, emitting a green healing light.

His patient hissed lowly, almost inaudibly, as Lynus added pressure to the wound. A simple Cure spell would be enough to close the wound, but he added another Refresh spell in case of any infection.

After uttering his spells, Lynus pulled the wadding of bandages away so he could visually see the injury. But the healing spells had worked perfectly; no visible wound could be seen. It was slightly red and swollen, but it would die down shortly.

Lynus sighed as he lifted his knee from the man’s arm, allowing him movement once again.

“There,” he said, truly relieved, as he slipped off the table. “Thank goodness it came out cleanly.”

The man blinked as he lifted his hand, looking with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He blinked a couple of times before a large grin slipped across his lips and he laughed boisterously. “Well, will you look at that!” he said as he started to flex his hand, opening and closing it into a fist.

“S-stop moving it!” Lynus spluttered as he lunged forward to try to grab the man’s arm. “I need to make sure you haven’t damaged any tendons and nerves!”

“Eh? It’s fine,” the older man stated as he effortlessly dodged Lynus’ attempt to inhibit further movement. “Never felt better!”

“You’re ok, daddy?” the young girl asked, still looking slightly teary.

“Of course, sweetheart! See? Good as new! Bwahaha!”

“Don’t scare me like that…” she sighed, looking exhausted, but relieved at the same time.

“Sorry to make you cry like that, pumpkin.”

“Don’t do it again.”

Lynus stood back, silently gathering his things as he allowed the man to offer some comfort to his daughter. He didn’t exactly like the way he was waving his previous injured hand around, acting as though he had nothing more than a splinter, but he was smart enough to know when someone was going to pay attention to any medical advice or not.

And the man was a blacksmith, for heaven’s sake. There was no doubt that he had had worst injuries.

“Oh!” the young girl suddenly piped up, sounding as if she had just realised something. She wandered over to Lynus and unexpectedly grabbed his hand in both of hers. “Thank you Mr Medic!” she said cheerfully, shaking his hand.

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Lynus replied with a smile, absentmindedly thinking that this young lady would be a good friend for Binah to have.

“What’s your name, son?” the girl’s father asked, his hands on his hips and a large, toothy smile on his face.

“It’s Lynus,” Lynus answered as the girl let go of his hands and wandered back to stand by her father’s side.

“Well, me name’s Thompson,” the man finally introduced himself and placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “And this is my daughter, Abigail. Appreciate what you’ve done for us! How can we repay ya?”

“Oh, no need,” Lynus was quick to respond as he placed his shoulder on his bag, feeling pleased that his healing abilities was able to help someone in genuine need. “I’m a medic. It’s my job. But please go to the hospital if you feel sick or get any fevers, ok? I don’t want you getting an infection.”

“Righto!” Thompson replied loudly, yet it gave Lynus the feeling that the man wouldn’t willingly walk into the hospital, even if his hand was hanging by a thread.

Maybe Lynus should drop by later…

After he visited the Bar, finished his errands and explained what happened to Dr Stiles.

“I’ll get going now,” Lynus said, adjusting his shoulder strap of his bag. “I have a few errands to run.”

“If you think of anything we can do to return the favour, don’t be afraid to drop by!” Thompson stated as he and his daughter walked Lynus to the door.

“Yes, please do!” Abigail added, waving cheerfully at him.

Lynus smiled and offered a wave of his own before stepping outside. He then focused his attention on the task at hand. He had no idea how long he had inside the Stolth Trading store. He always lost track of time when he was offering medical aide.

To make his delay even longer, he still wasn’t sure of the exact location of the Stickleback Bar. But it shouldn’t be that hard to find, right? After all, it had to be the next busiest building in Lagaard.

Taking a sharp corner, Lynus abruptly collided with something and staggered backwards in surprise. He soon realised that he had, once again, bumped into someone. His hands immediately grasped at his bag and he hunched his shoulders, just like he had done when he bumped into Shen.

The person he bumped into stood before him. Another male. He was slightly taller than him, with blond hair, piercing blue eyes, a red scarf around his neck, black clothing and strange gold arm bracers on his arms.

He was obviously an explorer. And from his armguards, an alchemist. A rather intimidating one at that.

“Sorry!” Lynus squeaked as he stumbled back a couple of steps. “I keep bumping into people! I’m sorry!”

The blond-haired man regarded him with slight curiosity, his head tilted to the side ever so faintly. He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but abruptly pressed his lips together, a restrained grimace flittering across his features.

Although the wince was subtle, Lynus was able to catch it. It wasn’t so much a grimace of annoyance, but one of pain. He should know; he had witnessed many suppressed winces of discomfort. It immediately piqued his interest. He hoped his didn’t unintentionally cause him pain by bumping into him. Did he have a previous injury? Was he headed to the hospital to have it checked out?

“It’s fine,” the blond alchemist muttered, his voice low and surprisingly airy.

“Um…is something wrong?” Lynus found himself asking, subconsciously leaning forward to get a better look at the man’s face.

“H-huh…?” he muttered, looking unsure and uncomfortable.

“It just…you look like you’re in pain,” Lynus said as he unintentionally invaded the alchemist’s personal space by taking another stop forward, narrowing his eyes a little to study himself closer.

He soon realised his actions and abruptly stood up straight, tensing a little. He had no right to pried like he was. And it was blatantly obvious that he was becoming uncomfortable. “Sorry for being nosy,” he said lamely as he moved to step around him. “I’ll go.”

But before he could take a step, the Alchemist asked him a familiar question. “Are you a medic?”

“That’s right,” Lynus found himself saying once again, turning his attention back to the blond.

Unexpectedly, a light flush danced across the alchemist’s cheeks and he lowered his chin, hiding the bottom half of his face in his scarf. “…You’re the first person to ask me that,” he muttered.

“Really?” Lynus murmured, slightly surprised.

“…I just have a bit of a headache,” the alchemist explained rather quickly, stumbling over his words slightly. He seemed edgy, nervous even, as he took a half step back. “It’s nothing to be overly concerned about.”

“Oh?” Lynus tilted his head to the side in question as he took a slow step forward. He didn’t exactly believe that he was suffering from ‘just a headache’. A migraine, perhaps. They were debilitating enough. But why hide it?

He then quickly realised that the man was purposely hiding his symptoms. To not be a burden to others, perhaps. Maybe he just wasn’t used to being fussed over?

It didn’t matter.

“Well, here,” Lynus said as he reached forward abruptly, his fingertips hovering a few millimetres from the blonde’s forehead, who of which looked slightly frightened. The ever useful Refresh spell tumbled from his lips once more. “Does that feel better?”

The alchemist blinked once, and then twice. He lifted his hand to gently touch his forehead, surprise flittering across his face. “It does.”

“Ah, that’s good,” Lynus said, giving a small chuckle. Despite his intimidating appearance, this man was actually kinda cute, in a way. Not that he would dare to say that aloud. Might embarrass him.

“T-thank you,” he stuttered, seemingly surprised that his head wasn’t hurting anymore.

“No problem,” Lynus replied sincerely. “Oh! Do you think you can direct me to the bar? I’m new and kinda lost.”

“The bar?”

“I have a request to be posted from the hospital,” Lynus explained, placing his hand into the pocket of his coat and pulling out a scrap of paper, showing it to him as proof of his words.

“Oh,” he breathed before turning to point down the road, in the direction Lynus had been heading in before the collided. “You continue down this road and turn right. You can’t miss it.”

“Ah, thank you!” Lynus said gratefully as he looked in the direction he was being directed. Thank goodness. Dr Stiles would be wondering where he went, he was taking so long!

He then offered the helpful Alchemist a smile before stepping around him. “Excuse me.”

“W-wait…”

Lynus paused mid-step and turned to look at the blond-haired man once more. “Is something else wrong?”

The alchemist fidgeted slightly, one hand tugging at his scarf. “I didn’t get your name.”

Lynus smiled warmly at him. “My name is Lynus. What’s yours?”

Blue eyes widen in mild surprise, before he abruptly looked away, appearing in thought. He soon snapped out of his musings though, and gave his name in response. “…Magnus.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you Magnus,” Lynus said sincerely. “I work at the hospital, so don’t be afraid to drop by if you get a headache again, ok? You can ask for me, if you want.”

Magnus opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it, opting to simply nod his head, the blush from before making its reappearance.

“I have to get going now,” Lynus said as he started to walk away. “Take care of yourself.”

“…You…you too.”


	11. Chapter 11

Just like what Alchemist Magnus had said; The Stickleback Bar was hard to miss. The building was quite big in size with tables and chairs littered around, inside and out. It was rather busy as well. Explorers were flittering in and out, sometimes in groups of five or more, others in pairs. The majority of them were indeed explorers as they carried with them an array of weapons and were adorned in armour.

There were some, Lynus couldn’t help noticing, that were either passed out from drinking too much. Or were simply there sleeping, probably too poor to pay for a room at Flaus Inn.

Stepping through the two large oak doors that served as the bar’s entrance, Lynus barely had enough time to look around before a familiar form appeared before him. Then a pair of arms were around his neck in a hug.

“Lynus!”

“Lirit?” Lynus muttered in surprised, his arms automatically returning the hug for a moment before he placed his hands on Lirit’s sides to push him back. “What are you-?”

“This is the place I told you about,” Lirit said, grinning at him.

“Here?” Lynus looked around at all the drinking patrons, not entirely sure how he should feel about a 17 tear-old performing in a bar. Then again, there were worst places, weren’t there? “You didn’t mention it was the bar, though. “

“I didn’t?” Lirit tilted his head to the side, a little confused, before a bashful smile appeared on his lips and he shrugged as he stepped away from Lynus. “Sorry, I guess I was just happy to be of use that I forgot.”

Lynus took a moment to look at his surroundings, noting that there were indeed quite a few individuals that looked like veteran explorers. “Is this ok?”

“Sure it is!”

“Wah!” Lynus eeped and subconsciously reached out to Lirit, instinctively trying to shield and protect him. A habitual response he had picked up during those eight long years. He then turned to the source of the loud, booming voice to see a man, quite stocky and tall, grinning at him. “Y-you scared me.”

“Haw haw haw!” the man laughed boisterously, seemingly amused by Lynus’ reaction. “Sorry, short stuff. Didn’t mean to scare ya. The name’s Cass, I’m the owner of this joint.”

“N-nice to meet you,” Lynus managed to reply, despite the way his heart was thundering in his chest from the fright. He calmed down quickly, though, when he realised that Cass wasn’t a threat. “Thank you letting Lirit-”

“Pleasure’s all mine!” Cass interrupted him. “He keeps the patrons entertained and they drink more! Perfect for business! Haw haw haw!”

Lynus found himself staring at the man in a dumbfounded way. He wasn’t sure how he should react. He didn’t feel threatened in anyway. And Lirit didn’t seem to be bothered by him. He just hadn’t met someone so…loud before.

“Scared me when I first met him, too,” Lirit whispered into Lynus’ ear. “See what I mean about strange people?”

Lynus was unable to prevent a nervous laugh from passing his lips. “Believe me, I know,” he whispered back, recalling those he had met during their brief stay. He smiled warmly, though. “But they seemed nice enough.”

“So, the two of ya friends, guildmates, or what?” Cass asked as he walked back over to the bar, getting ready to serve up some more drinks.

“Brothers,” Lynus answered hastily. For some reason that question made him feel a tad nervous. There was really no point at all going into depth about how they knew each other.

“Can’t you see the resemblance?” Lirit chirped cheerfully, indicating to their similar hair colour.

“Yare, yare,” Cass said. He appeared as though he wanted to say more when his attention was suddenly diverted elsewhere. “Hey! Tables are for glasses, not for asses! Sit on the damn chair!”

Lynus managed to suppress a wince at the loud voice, but for some reason he felt reassured by the man’s ability to keep his patrons in check. He would have to have some kind of talent to run a bar that catered to weapon-wielding explorers. After all, bar fights were probably common.

“Well,” Lynus said as he turned his attention back to Lirit. “I’m glad that you’re enjoying singing again.”

Lirit blinked at him for a second before he gave a small smile. “I’m having fun.”

“That’s good.”

At least Lirit and Binah seemed to be relishing in their new found freedom. Binah is having fun playing with her new friend, Becky, giving the sickly young girl company. Lynus still had no idea what to do about Rahas, though. He was spending all his time training out in the woods, by himself. As soon as the sun would come up, he would leave. And won’t come back until well after sunset.

Lynus understood that he was trying to find a new purpose. Still…

“Oh, that’s right; I have a request from the hospital,” Lynus said, plunging his hand into the pocket of his coat and pulling out the note Dr Stiles had given him.

“A quest, huh?” Cass said. “No problem. Give it here and I’ll post it on the quest board. Should be filled in no time.”

“Glad to hear it, thank you,” Lynus said, handing the piece of paper over to him, finally delivering his task. Took a little longer than expected. But Dr Stiles would understand, right? He could not turn his back on people in need.

In any case…

“I better get back to the hospital,” Lynus said, turning his attention back to Lirit. “They’ll be wondering where I am.”

“Kay,” Lirit smiled. “See you back at the Inn, Lynus. I better get back to work as well.”

“Have fun,” Lynus said with a smile on his own, unconsciously shifting his bag on his shoulder.

“I will.”

Deciding that he had dallied long enough, Lynus began to jog in the direction of the hospital. He made sure to remember the location of the bar, though, as he might check up on Lirit occasionally, seeing as if he was all right. Like he would do with Binah at the Inn.

Sure, the logical and rational part of him knew that there was no doubt that the two were safe. But his maternal instincts, on the other hand, were always worried that something might be wrong. There were always the ‘what ifs’ thoughts lingering.

Turning a corner, Lynus found himself coming to an abrupt halt. There were two men, both with blond hair, facing off in a verbal confrontation. And, once again, they were quite tall. Far taller than Lynus.

But, then again, it seemed that everyone was taller than he was…

One was a Protector. He had short blond hair and was adorned in shiny silver armour, a sword sheathed by his side and a shield in his left hand. He was staring with piercing blue eyes at the other blond.

The other was obviously a Survivalist. The large bow resting on his back was a dead giveaway. He had long blond hair, his eyes as blue as the protector’s. They, too, were narrowed in an accusing expression.

Lynus found himself shuffling back nervously, edging back around the corner. He was stumped as they were arguing in the middle of the path. Lynus fiddled with the strap of his bag as he peered around the corner. He had to find a way to awkwardly move around them without being noticed, so not to disturb them.

Maybe there was a back alley way or something.

“I am fine,” the Protector insisted. “You're the one who is hurt.”

“Don't be pompous,” the Survivalist sneered. “I'm not injured. I know you are, for a fact, as you threw yourself in front of me. Are you completely reckless?”

“You were in danger.”

“Regardless! I am a Survivalist. I will survive.”

“And I am a Protector. I protect people, including Survivalists.”

“I don’t need protecting!”

“Well, apparently you did!”

He shouldn’t be eavesdropping like he was. But after hearing the words ‘hurt’ and ‘injured’, Lynus felt himself twitch. He was unable to hold himself back any longer. He could see, just by looking at them, that the both of them were hurt. He couldn’t ignore that. His inner healer simply wouldn’t let him.

He had to do something.

“Um, excuse me?” Lynus questioned as he timidly stepped from his hiding spot.

Immediately, two sets of blue eyes turn to look at him at the same time. And they asked the same question at the exact same time, equally tersely. “What?”

Lynus winced at the sharp tones, but held his ground. He had received much harsher words and biting tones than that in his life.

“I'm sorry for interrupting,” he said as he nervously grasped at his bag with both hands. “But, well, you see...you're both hurt.”  
   
“...What do you mean?” the protector asked him after a moment of silence.

“Your right leg,” Lynus said as he pointed at the Protector. “I assume it's your knee as you're lifting your heel up off the ground, while keeping your knee bent.”

The Survivalist snapped his head around to face his companion. “I knew it,” he muttered, earning himself a sharp glare from the other.

“And you,” Lynus carried on, this time pointing at the Survivalist. “You're also hurt. Your left arm, I'm also guessing that it's your elbow. You're holding it close to your body and trying not to move it.”

The Survivalist stiffened and turned to face him, a surprised look on his face. The Protector, too, was wearing an expression of bewilderment, the two of them stunned into silence. A silence that stretched out in an awkward manner.

Lynus fidgeted under their gazes. “...Um.”

Abruptly, the two looked away. The silver armoured Protector coughed into his hand while a light blush spread across his cheeks. The Survivalist had a similar reaction, his lower face hiding against the red scarf around his neck that was doing very little to hide the blush dusting the bridge of his nose.

Using his uninjured arm, the Survivalist scratched the back of his neck as he shared a look with his companion. He then turned his gaze back onto Lynus. “...You're very observant,” he muttered, sounding embarrassed.

“I'm a Medic. I have to be,” Lynus explained, giving the two a small smile. They don’t seem so intimidating now. Actually, it was nice to see that they were each worried about the other, while trying to conceal their own injuries so they won’t be concerned.

Still, there was no need to hide injuries at all with medics and healers ready and willing to lend a hand.

“Would you like me to...?” Lynus asked, motioning toward the Survivalist’s arm with a small wave of his hand.

He received a blink in response, before giving a small nod of his head. He allowed Lynus to approach and gently take hold of his arm. Pulling back the long sleeve of his clothing, Lynus took a moment to study the injured limb. It was slightly swollen, the skin a light red. There doesn’t seem to be a wound, so it was likely that there was a strain. He couldn’t feel any broken bones and it wasn’t dislocate, which was very good. Pulled muscles and strains were painful, but not life-threatening.

A Cure spell and some strong bindings would do the trick.

“There’s nothing broken,” Lynus said as he reached into his bag and pulled out a wad of bandages. He cast a quick Cure spell to ease the swelling and tension in the muscles. He then carefully wrapped the support bandages around the blonde’s elbow, making sure that it was tight, but not too tight that it would cut off blood circulation. “But rest is definitely recommended for a day or two. Using a bow now would only make it worse and prolong the injury.”

“Sure,” the Survivalist relented; placing his hand on the bandages and cradling the injury close against his side. He seemed mildly surprised as he looked at his bandaged arm.

“How does it feel?” Lynus asked.

“It’s fine.”

“Good,” Lynus smiled, sensing that the other didn’t like to talk much, before turning his attention to the other blond. “Please take a seat.”

Shrugging off his shield, the protector limped over to a bench. Now that he was no longer trying to pretend that he wasn’t hurt, his injury was blatantly obvious. His companion immediately noticed as well, moving to take him by the arm with his uninjured hand and helped him to sit down. Shifting so that his right leg was out in front, he began to remove his leg armour.

Lynus lifted his bag from his shoulder and placed it on the ground. He knelt down and began to help in the removal of the armour. He could see that the armour was not damaged, so he did not have an open wound. He was either suffering from a strain or a fracture due to blunt force trauma.

Placing his hands on the knee, Lynus carefully felt around, satisfied that his kneecap was not dislocated or damaged. It was swollen, though. Much like his companion’s, his seemed to be suffering from a sprain. It was possible that he had twisted it when he shielded someone. It was obvious that he didn’t dislocate it. No one could grin through that kind of pain.

His injury was just more painful due to the fact that he was putting at least half of his weight on it.

With one hand on his knee as he uttered a cure spell, Lynus dug around in his bag for another support bandage. He grabbed a slightly thicker one, as the knee needed more support than the elbow.

“Rest is recommended for you as well,” Lynus said as he wound the bandage tightly. “It would be best if you could keep it elevated for the rest of the day. And icing it would also speed up recovery.”

After he was done, he stood up and picked up his bag. He then granted the two a stern, doctorial look. “Absolutely no labyrinth. For either of you.”

Neither of them seemed willing to argue. Instead, they both nodded as the Protector began to pick up his removed leg armour. After he had gathered his belongings, he stood up.

“Thank you for your help,” he said, smiling gratefully now. “My name is Jhon.” He motioned to himself before wave a hand toward his companion. “This is Tobyn.”

“My name is Lynus,” Lynus introduced himself, smiling at the two. “And it was no problem. I work at the hospital, so if either of you get hurt again, please come see me, ok?”

“...Lynus?”

Lynus blinked and turned to look at Tobyn, tilting his head in a questioning manner. “Is something wrong?” he asked, a small sense of unease beginning to rise from the pit of his stomach.

Tobyn had this quizzical look on his face, his brows furrowed. He looked as if he was trying hard to remember something. He then seemed to snap back to reality and shook his head to clear it. “Ah, no,” he murmured. “Just speaking out loud.”

Tobyn then shared a look with Jhon, the two sharing a silent conversation with their eyes. Lynus felt his unease grow when Jhon furrowed his brow slightly as Tobyn raised an eyebrow, almost as if he was indicating toward Lynus’ direction. However, Lynus tried to reason with himself that he was just being silly when Jhon gave a light shrug a moment later, turning his attention back to Lynus, smiling as he regarded him.

“Well, thanks again,” he said as he hoisted his shield effortlessly off the ground. He seemed unguarded, open and friendly. That helped to sooth Lynus’ nerves further. “I'm sure we'll meet again.”

Lynus nodded, pleased that he was of use, that his healing abilities had helped someone in need once again. And, well, it was pleasant to meet such nice people and explorers. Not what he had grown used to over the years.

A very enjoyable change indeed.

“Take care,” Lynus said before he turned on his heel and continued his journey back to the hospital.

... ... ... ... ...

Jhon watched as the Medic hurried up the stone path toward the hospital, strands of light orange hair dancing in the midday breeze. His violet eyes focused forward as he grasped at the strap of his medical bag with his left hand.

“…Lynus, huh?” Tobyn muttered under his breath, he, too, watching with a curious gaze.

Jhon turned to face him. “You don’t think…?”

“Orange hair, violet eyes, a medic named Lynus?” Tobyn listed off, cradling his injured arm against his side. “It’s no coincidence. Has to be him.”

Jhon drew in a sharp breath. He hoped that they were right. “We better tell Axel.”

“Right.”


	12. Chapter 12

Drawing closer to the hospital, Lynus found himself nearly bumping into someone else. Yet another young man, probably about his age. He appeared to be a brown-haired Gunner, wearing a leafy green coat and matching hat. He also appeared to be limping, dragging his left foot in an awkward manner while muttering darkly under his breath. His boot was damaged and hastily patched up. And he was moving in the opposite direction from the hospital.

It was blatantly obvious that he was injured.

Why won’t they just go to the hospital and get help? Were they afraid of getting a lecture? Or were too proud to admit they needed help? The hospital was just a few yards away, for heaven’s sake!

At least he wasn’t alone. He had a Beast companion with him. A white, sabre tooth tiger, who didn’t seem all that amused by his antics.

Lynus found himself sighing in exasperation. Some people.

“…Why are you walking like that?” Lynus asked, watching as he limp past him.

“None of your business,” the brown-haired man muttered, not even granting Lynus a side-ways glance.

“Are you a gunner?”

“What’s it to you?”

A though suddenly occurred to Lynus and he found himself smiling. “…Did you shoot yourself in the foot?”

“S-shut up!” the brunette spluttered as he painfully spun around to face him, embarrassment and indignation on his face. He tried to glare in Lynus’ direction, but it came out as an annoyed pout, prompting Lynus to cover his mouth with hand to stop a chuckle from surfacing.

He knew it was wrong to find amusement in a situation where someone was genuinely hurt. But this guy’s reactions were fun.

“You too, Chi-hung!” the gunner whined as he turned his attention to the white tiger, who was sitting on his back legs, seemingly chuckling. “I can hear you sniggering over there!”

Lynus managed to swallow his chuckles, but was unable to wipe the amused smile from his lips. “Want me to look at that for you?”

“I’m fine,” came a reply through gritted teeth.

Lynus rolled his eyes toward the sky. “I could go get Dr Stiles for you if you want?”

The brunette stiffened and looked slightly fearful. Lynus suppressed another chuckle. He was afraid of getting a lecture.

“…You a medic?” he asked, sounding just a tad desperate.

“That’s right,” Lynus said, smiling good naturedly. “I promise I won’t lecture you.”

The gunner eyed him off sceptically, that pout still on his lips. “…You better not!” he threatened after a moment of studying silence.

“You have my word,” Lynus responded as he found himself once again shrugging off his medical bag. “Now, sit down and let me see.”

Still pouting, the Gunner finally resigned himself to his fate and lowered himself onto a stone step that led up to the hospital. Lynus knelt down on his knees and began to unlace the damaged boot. Carefully, so not to cause further pain, Lynus pulled off the shoe and managed to stop himself from wincing. The sock, as he rolled it off, had crusty cakes of dried blood. But it does appear that someone had tried to patch it up.

Grabbing some antiseptic wipes from his bag, Lynus began to clear the wound. He was pleased to find that the wound was not as deep as it first appeared. Although the previous patch-up job had been rough, it had been enough to clot the blood. Now all he had to do was to see if there were any broken bones and determine what kind of elemental (if at all) attack had been used. It didn’t seem to be a puncture wound.

“So, what happened?” Lynus asked as he carefully rested the injured foot on his lap, keeping it off the dirty ground.

“I didn’t shoot myself,” the gunner muttered as he folded his arms over his chest. “It ricocheted.”

Ah, that explained it. It wasn’t a bullet wound; it was more of a graze. It’ll take a minute or two to carefully heal the injured skin, medically stitching it back together. It was going to be tender for a while, though.

Drawing in a deep breath and hovering a hand over the gunner’s foot, Lynus whispered a cure spell as he concentrated on the open wound. The ever familiar sensation of healing warmth appeared in his hand before dissipating into the injury. He did it slowly, as he didn’t want to stitch the skin together roughly; leaving a scar that could cause a problem later on.

As the tingling sensation died down, he pulled his hand back to study his handy work. “How does it feel?” he asked.

The gunner took a moment to timidly move his foot, wiggling his toes. He blinked for a moment before a large grin slipped across his lips. “Great!” he said, lifting his foot up off Lynus’ lap. “It doesn’t hurt anymore!”

“Ah, that’s good,” Lynus said with a sigh, heaving himself to stand up on his feet. He was feeling slightly tired all of a sudden, no doubt from the numerous abrupt healing he had to do today. He was feeling satisfied, though.

Heaving his bag back onto his shoulder, Lynus turned his attention to the white tiger, whom has been watching him silently from the sidelines. Despite the beast’s large fangs and stocky build, Lynus wasn’t at all frightened of him. Strange, considering the fact, that explorers in general made him nervous.

“What about you, Chi-hung, was it?” Lynus asked, the white tiger tilting his head to the side in question, his tail flicking playfully. “Didn’t catch a stray bullet?”

“Hey!” came an indignant cry.

“I’m just asking,” Lynus chuckled as he turned to look at the gunner, who was back on his feet, but with one shoe off. “Part of my job.”

“Yeah, sure,” the brunette muttered, pouting as he folded his arms over his chest.

Lynus found himself chuckling into his hand. The gunner’s reactions were slightly amusing. He hadn’t encountered anyone quite so expressive before. And he was the first explorer he had met that wasn’t intimidating looking in appearance. Sure, those he had helped out today looked intimidating when he first met them; they were actually quite nice once he spoke to them.

One really shouldn’t make assumption from appearance alone, huh?

Lynus was pulled from his thoughts when he felt something nudged his leg. He stiffened out of surprise and looked down. He immediately noticed that Chi-hung had stealthily moved closer to him, sniffing at his leg. His ears were pulled back, but his tail was flicking in a harmless way.

“Wow,” the Gunner whistled, sounding impressed. “Chi-hung seems to like you. He’s never warmed up to anyone that quick before.”

“I…guess it’s because I’m pretty harmless, huh?” Lynus said with a slightly nervous smile on his lips as he wasn’t sure what he should do. The Gunner didn’t seem too worried, so that was a good thing, right?

After a few moments of Chi-hung sniffing at his leg, the white tiger seemed to have gotten enough of his scent and lifted his head, his ears facing forward. He then sat down, his tail swishing happily behind him.

Lynus found himself smiling as he lifted his hand, wondering if it would be ok to give him a pat. After receiving a nudge from Chi-hung’s nose, he realised that his touch wouldn’t be ill-received. So, he placed his hand on top of Chi-hung’s head, between his ears.

“It’s nice meeting you, too, Chi-hung,” Lynus said when he realised the Beast was purring. “But I need to get going.”

He gave Chi-hung’s ear a quick rub before removing his hand and taking a step back. He then turned to the gunner and sent him a humorous smile.

“Be more careful next time,” he said.

The gunner narrowed his eyes and planted his hands on his hips. “You said you wouldn’t give me a lecture,” he pouted.

“I’m not giving you a lecture,” Lynus quipped, chuckling into his hand. “Merely a personal request.”

“…Fine,” he muttered, his lips still twisted into a pout. However, his expression quickly brightened as he smiled widely. “I’m Macerio. What’s your name, anyway?”

“Lynus.” He had literally lost count the number of times he had introduced himself today.

Macerio’s eyes unexpectedly narrowed again and he took a step forward, pushing well into Lynus’ personal space. “Seriously?”

Lynus found himself gripping his bag strap tightly as he took a half-step back. “…Yes.”

“Hm…” Macerio hummed, studying for a long moment. He seemed to be eyeing him off, a slight sense of suspicion in his gaze. “Ok,” he suddenly stated moving to stand up straight. “Hey, do you know-?”

“Lynus!”

Jumping at the sound of his name practically being screamed, Lynus spun around toward the entrance of the hospital. Immediately, he saw Angie stumbling down the stairs.

“We’ve got a code blue!” she called out.

A code blue? A serious medical emergency!

“Ah, coming!” Lynus called back, taking a moment to regard Macerio with a quick goodbye, thinking nothing of his strange reaction to his introduction. “Excuse me,” he uttered before racing toward Angie and ultimately, inside the hospital.

“Hey, wait!” Macerio yelled after him. “Thanks for the help!”

... ... ... ... ...

Axel heaved a sigh as he plonked himself down onto a chair. Leaning back, he lifted his legs and slammed his boots onto the table. He slung his arm over the back of the chair and tried to ignored the drunken bar patrons as they bustled around him.

There appeared to be a few new faces he hadn’t seen before. Spending three days in the Labyrinth, it was no surprise. Young, inexperienced explorers looking to get rich and famous by conquering the Labyrinth wasn’t anything new.

There was this one Troubadour, though, that seemed to be staring at him from a distance. He had orange hair and blue eyes. He was sneaking glances at him as he spoke to Cass behind the bar. Axel shrugged it off. Some new explorers had the tendency stared at the veterans in awe.

He wasn’t egotistical or anything, but he was a member of the becoming quite popular Guardians Guild. Every single member was whispered about behind their backs. It was kinda annoying, to be honest. But there was a plus side. For Axel, getting his name out there made it a tad easier for Lynus to find him…when he appeared in Lagaard.

“Axel.”

Ah, speaking of a fellow guild member.

Axel tilted his head back to watch Shen, their powerful Ronin, approach him with determined strides. “Hey Shen. Where you’ve been?”

“Helping in the training some rookies for the guards,” Shen stated in his usual monotone voice, his gaze as piercing as ever.

“Yeah?” Axel said in a questioning tone, an eyebrow arching up toward his hairline. “How were they?”

There was a very noticeable tick under Shen’s left eye. “…Bloody useless.”

Axel let out a short laugh. “Is that so?” He could just imagine someone as talented and disciplined as Shen getting irritated with the shortcomings of rookies. He was patient in regards to fighting and exploring. With bumbling rookies? Not really.

Hamza was good at teaching rookies how to become seasoned explorers.

“Axel.”

“Hm?”

“That person you’re looking for,” Shen said evenly, folding his arms tightly over his bare chest.

Axel raised an eyebrow at him as he peered through one eye. The mentioning of his childhood friend was odd. Everyone from his guild knew that he was looking for someone. And they knew his name. They didn’t really ask him any questions, though. They knew the basics. He was looking for a Medic called Lynus.

Not very descriptive, but it was a start.

“What about him?” Axel asked.

However, before Shen could continue, a quiet, timid voice spoke up first. “U-um, excuse me?”

Turning his head to his right, Axel noted that the person who was trying to get his attention was the very same Troubadour who had been watching him silently from the sidelines the very moment he stepped into the bar.

“Is there something I can do you for?” he asked, Shen standing silently behind him. He seemed to be waiting to see what he had wanted, not wanting to continue his conversation with a stranger nearby.

The Troubadour fidgeted for a moment, seemingly weighing something up in his mind. “Um…is your name Axel?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re a Landsknecht?”

Axel arched a questioning eyebrow. “…Yeah.”

“Are you, um,” he fidgeted a little bit more. “Looking for someone?”

Axel’s expression creased into a look of confusion at the out-of-the-blue question. “Huh?”

The Troubadour opened his mouth in an attempt to explain himself, or at least ask another question, but he snapped his mouth shut when yet another person said Axel’s name, gaining his attention.

“Axel.”

Axel blinked before turning to his left, watching as his guild’s master Alchemist hastily made his way over to them, coming to a stop near Shen. Normally, the quiet blond wouldn’t step foot inside such a loud, boisterous place unless he had too. Suffering from chronic headaches made him seek out the peace and quiet. He must have something important to say.

“What’s up?” Axel asked, giving the blond his full attention.

“What was the name of that person you were searching for again?” Magnus asked, nervously fiddling with his scarf.

Once again, Axel found himself blinking in bewilderment. “Lynus, why?”

“Well, I met a Medic today,” Magnus explained, his voice at first soft and unsure, but he became a little bit bolder as he continued. “He said his name was Lynus.”

“What?” Axel breathed. He lifted his feet off the table and slammed them onto the floor, practically jumping out of his chair to stand up tall. He reached forward and took Magnus by the shoulder, staring straight into his face. “Are you serious?”

Magnus nodded his head once. “Yes. I-”

“Axel!”

Again, someone else interrupted before they could get to the point of what they were trying to say.

“What?” Axel asked tersely, keeping a hand on Magnus’ shoulder as he turned around to regard yet another person looking to speak with him. Two more blonds immediately appeared into his view and marched over to him with a sense of purpose.

Pushing himself through the small gathering around Axel, Tobyn stopped directly in front of him. “We just met a medic called Lynus and-”

“Did he have orange hair and violet eyes?” Axel immediately asked with a sense of hope and desperation in his voice, he being the one to interrupt someone this time. He let go of Magnus’ shoulder, giving his full and undivided attention toward Tobyn.

Tobyn nodded his head sharply. “That’s right.”

Quickly, the implications of what he was hearing sunk in and his breath hitched in his throat. There was a medic called Lynus in Lagaard. He had orange hair and violet eyes. Just like the Lynus he knew from childhood. Eight years ago.

…It was him. It had to be!

“So you met him, too?” Magnus asked softly, both surprised and pleased at the revelation.

“I have as well,” Shen added, nodding his head in a sagely manner.

Jhon and Tobyn shared a look, realisation dawning on them all. “We-”

“Hey, Axel!” Another voice called out, loud enough to practically gain the attention of everyone inside the bar. A moment later Macerio, their Gunner, and Chi-Hung, their Beast, strolled into sight. “I just met a medic and-”

“ _ **Where?!**_ ”

Enough talk. He wanted directions. Now!

Macerio immediately stood stock still, Chi-hung freezing in surprise behind him. “…J-just outside the hospital,” he stuttered, pointing feebly in the general direction of the Lagaard hospital.

With that, Axel bolted.


	13. Chapter 13

Three days in the Labyrinth was a long time, by anyone’s standards. Truly an exhausting ordeal. But it offered them great experience that should carry over to their further explorations.

And from what Hamza had witnessed, the Second Stratum was going to need careful analysis to avoid not only the damaged floors, but FOEs one couldn’t sense until they were way too close. There might be a way to lessening one problem to deal with. The FOEs on the other hand needed very careful observation.

At least the items they had gathered should pay toward their new armour and accessories.

Stepping inside the Sitoth Trading, Hamza was greeted by the site of the owner’s young daughter studying a large book and scribbling something down on a piece of paper. She was humming to herself, a small smile on her face.

“Looking for more items to make more weapons, Miss Abigail?” Hamza greeted as he approached her.

“Oh, hello Mr Hamza,” Abigail returned the greeting, her smile brightening. “Yep, another request. Daddy wants to make a staff for that nice medic who helped him today.”

Hamza quirked an eyebrow as he placed the bag of items they had gathered onto the floor. “Medic?”

Finishing off the list with a quick signature, Abigail folded the paper carefully. “Yep! You see daddy hurt himself making a weapon and that nice medic came to his rescue,” she explained, a look of small discomfort on her face as if recalling the event vividly in her mind. “I don’t know where he came from, but I’m glad he was there to help. It looked painful.”

“Ah,” Hamza made a noise of understanding. “So you want to make a staff for him in thanks?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So, what do you need?” Hamza asked. There was a possibility that he had already gathered the ingredients she might need. After all, no one had ventured as far into the labyrinth than he and his guild.

“Oh, you’re going to take the request?” Abigail asked, perking up with a hopeful look. She then released a light squeal of delight when Hamza nodded his head. “Yay, I hoped you would! Here’s the request. I guess there’s no point taking it to the bar, huh?”

“We’ll take care of it,” Hamza said as he took the piece of paper from her, flipping the folded piece open so he could scan the list. “By the way, what was that medic’s name?”

“Um,” Abigail hummed in thought for a long moment. “Lynus, I think.”

Hamza reeled his head back slightly in surprise. “…Really now?”

“Oh, do you know him?” Abigail asked him, her head cutely tilted to the side in question.

“I may have heard of him.”

Oh, he had certainly heard of a Lynus, who was supposedly aspiring to be a medic since he was a young child. He was the person that Axel had been searching for, for eight years. Was it possible that Axel’s childhood friend was here in Lagaard after all these years?

Hamza needed to inform Axel, but he felt slightly hesitant. What if it was just a coincidence?

“Oh, do you have new items to sell me?” Abigail suddenly asked, pulling him out of musings.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Hamza smiled as he returned to the task at hand. He pushed the knowledge of Lynus to the back of his mind as he presented to an excited Abigail the newest products discovered from the labyrinth.

Stepping outside onto the street, Hamza placed the money he had received in exchanging goods into his bag. He lifted his head when he heard the sound of feet running in a hurried manner and saw that it was Axel who was tearing through the streets. Hamza had to take a step back in surprise to avoid Axel running into him.

Hamza blinked a couple of times, watching as the red-haired Landsknecht practically plough his way through the crowd. His confusion only grew when he noted that a few more of his fellow guild members seemed to be following him. They seemed to be heading toward the hospital.

Throwing out a hand, he managed to grab Macerio by the back of his jacket, pulling him to an abrupt stop. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“There’s a guy called Lynus at the hospital,” Macerio explained, slightly breathless. “He’s a medic.”

“The one that Axel has been searching for?” Hamza dared to ask. “Are you sure it’s him?”

“It has to be,” a new and unfamiliar voice suddenly answered.

Startled, Hamza turned to look to his right to see a Troubadour with orange hair and blue eyes. He had never seen him before. “And you are?”

“I know Lynus,” the Troubadour said instead of introducing himself. He was also slightly breathless, yet there was this sense of hopefulness and excitement in his posture. “He told me that he had a childhood friend called Axel. He made a promise to meet him here in Lagaard.”

A silence fell over them, allowing the information that he gave to sink in. When it did, Hamza released his grip on Macerio and Macerio grinned widely.

“Come on!” he said as he spun on his heel, resuming his jog toward the hospital. “I want to see this reunion!”

“Wait for me!” the Troubadour called, stumbling after him.

Hamza watched the two until they disappeared around a corner, heading straight toward the hospital. He didn’t know what to feel, to be honest. “…I hope it’s not a case of mistaken identity,” he muttered under his breath.

“Hey, grandpa!”

Another unfamiliar voice, this one loud and terse pulled Hamza from his thoughts. And his eye twitched noticeably. “…Grandpa?” he muttered as he slowly turned toward the sound of the voice, his gaze fallen upon a scrawny looking Dark Hunter with silver coloured hair.

Why, that cheeky little shit. Was he actually talking to him?

“You’re the leader of the strongest guild in Lagaard, right?” the Dark Hunter asked him, his eyes narrowed and determined.

Hamza narrowed his own eyes at him. “And if I am?”

“I want you to train me.” That wasn’t really a request, but a demand.

Hamza rolled his eyes as he sighed. Kids these days. “I don’t have time to deal with novice explorers.”

“I don’t want to be an explorer,” the Dark Hunter snapped. “I couldn’t give a shit about the labyrinth.”

Well, that was a surprise. All new explorers who ventured to Lagaard were here in hopes of gaining notoriety by conquering the Labyrinth. He was a little bit curious as to why this youth seemed so uninterested.

“Then why do you want me to train you?” he asked.

“I need to become stronger,” the Dark Hunter replied, his face darkening as he seemed to have an internal struggle of some kind. “I won’t let those bastards near him ever again.”

Now Hamza’s interested was really captured. “…Who?” he asked, slowly turning to face him.

… … … …

“Dr Stiles!” Axel called aloud as he skidded into the hospital, only slightly breathless from the run. He had made the journey in record time. So what if he accidentally knocked a few people over during his run? He had waited eight years for this!

However, he was greeted with the sight of numerous medics, all running around with an outwardly calm, but hasty and frantic manner. They appeared to be running in and out of one room in particular, carrying bloody bandages and empty bottles of medicines, speaking in a terminology that Axel didn’t understand fully. Knowing that there was more than a high possibility that Dr Stiles was there, Axel moved toward that busy ward, making sure that he didn’t unintentionally get in the way of my nurse or medical staff.

Peering into the room, Axel felt his eyes widen. Laid flat out on a hospital gurney was a solder, covered in blood and looking lifeless. But he wasn’t the one Axel was staring at. He was looking at the young man, a Medic in appearance, kneeing on the bed, leaning over the solder’s body as he desperately did compressions on his chest. Strands of orange hair fell over his violet eyes and clung to the light sheen of sweat on his forehead. His lips were pulled into a thin line, his eyes narrowed and focused.

Orange hair and violet eyes? Was he the one his guild-mates were talking about?

“We’re losing him!”

“Not yet!” the orange-haired Medic said sharply, still continuing with the compressions. “His heart is still pumping blood. Find the source of bleeding and clot it.”

“It’s probably an internal wound.”

“Should I use Cure 3?” the blonde-haired nurse, Angie, asked.

“No,” the medic that had to be Lynus said. “Too much healing too quickly and he’ll go into shock and fall into a coma, where he probably won’t wake up.”

“Correct,” Dr Stiles said as he snapped on a pair of surgical gloves. “Ignore the minor wounds for now. They can heal in their own time. I need to thoroughly inspect his most serous wound on his abdomen.”

Axel stood silently in the doorway, watching the young man he was certain, as in his gut-feeling was telling him, was Lynus. It was the little things he did, the way he spoke, the way he moved. Even how he would slightly gnawed on his bottom lip as he concentrated.

The Lynus he knew did the exact same thing. He was timid normally, but he did a complete one-eighty when healing was involved.

“Blood pressure is dropping.”

“I need some light over here.”

“We need more Medica.”

“Gauze, now.”

After a few more frantic minutes, the room became still and tense, waiting to see if their efforts were in vain.

Then, there was a sigh of relief.

“That seemed to have done it,” Dr Stiles said, relieved to see that his blood pressure was no longer dropping. “Take him into Intensive Care. He’ll need more treatment. Just not now.”

“Yes, sir!”

Looking thoroughly exhausted, the orange-haired Medic slipped off the gurney and stepped onto the floor. Snapping his gloves off, Dr Stiles gave him a small pat on the back, whispering something to him. He nodded and followed the gurney out, hasty wiping the blood off his hands as he did so.

Now that the drama was over, Axel tried to gain some attention. “Dr Stiles?”

“Oh, hello Axel,” Dr Stiles greeted in return, a look of surprise flittering across his features as he moved toward him. “What can I do-?”

“Lynus,” Axel said as he stood in front of him, holding himself back from grabbing the man in desperation. “Is there really a medic called Lynus working here?”

“Why, yes,” Dr Stiles answered, his surprise turning into a look of confusion before he shrugged, smiling. “Quite a talented young man.”

“Where is he?” Axel hastily (and possibly tersely) asked, his heart-rate beginning to quicken. “I need to see him.”

“Sure, he’s been busy today, so a break would do him some good. He’s just cleaning himself up. A Code Blue, I’m afraid,” Dr Stiles said in response. Instead of physically going off to find him, however, he took a deep breath and yelled. “Lynus!”

“Here!” a voice immediately replied. A mere moment later the young man with orange hair, pulled back with several strands loosely swaying over his violet eyes reappeared. He somehow found the energy to jog out of the intensive care ward, pulling a medical bag up by the strap to place on his shoulder. He smiled (although it was more like a tired grin) as he turned to look at Dr Stiles, not looking as haggard as he did previously.

“Is there something…?” he began to ask, but his voice trailed off when his gaze collided with that of Axel’s. His eyes widened, his breath visibly hitching in his throat as the medical bag slipped from his hand, hitting the floor with a thud.

Axel sucked in a sharp breath of his own. It was him. Those eyes….he remembered those eyes. And that smile.

“Lynus?” Axel said as he pushed himself forward. He became completely oblivious to the crowd of onlookers that had gathered, watching silently in the background as he stood in front of the man he was certain, beyond doubt, was his childhood friend. “Lynus, is that really you?”

Slowly, the orange-haired medic edged forward as he stared at him in disbelieving manner. With his shoulders hunched, he lifted up a trembling hand, etching closer toward Axel’s forehead. Axel found himself holding his breath again, keeping his gaze directly on his face as he softly brushed aside his bangs, revealing a light scar at his hairline, over his right eye.

There was only one person who knew about that childhood scar.

“...Axel?” he whispered.

“Yes!” Axel said as his smile widened and he grasped the man he now knew for certain was Lynus by his skinny shoulders. “That's right. You remember, right?”

“...O-of course!” Lynus stuttered, his face creasing into a whirlwind of emotions, tears appearing in the corners of his eyes. “It's…It’s really you.”

Axel abruptly pulled him into a hug, holding him as close and tightly as he dared. He felt so small and thin in his arms. But he was there. He was real.

“I can’t believe it!” Axel said as he rested his head on top of his head. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”

“Axel…” Lynus whispered, his body trembling under Axel’s hold. He was stiff, uncertain at first. But his arms soon returned the hug and he all but fell limp in Axel’s arms, clutching onto him desperately. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Lynus?”


	14. Chapter 14

With Axel’s hand clasping his tightly, Lynus followed in a dazed like state as Axel led him out of the hospital and back to the inn. The hospital was too crowded for them to talk, to catch up with each other, to fill in the blanks of the last eight years.

Lynus vaguely heard Axel tell Matron something before ushering him upstairs to a private room. He moved automatically, too deep in a state of shock to really register anything. Well, anything besides the fact that he had found Axel again.

The tall, strong red-haired Landsknecht was undoubtedly his friend from childhood. The scar along his hairline, the habit he had to sometimes close his right eye for no apparent reason, that smile of his. Even the way he held his hand, strong and sure, was exactly how the Axel from his childhood used to drag him around for adventures.

It…was almost too good to be true.

“Lynus,” Axel said as he tugged him into the room with their joined hands, kicking the door shut behind him. “What happened to you?”

“It’s…a long story,” Lynus murmured, a lump of emotion forming in his throat.

Again, Axel tugged at his hand as he sat down on the edge of the bed, prompting Lynus to take a seat beside him. The hold on his hand never faltered for an instant. “Tell me.”

Lynus looked down at their joined hands that sat up top of the bed sheets, musing about how much bigger Axel’s hand was compared to his. He could make out the small scars, the coarseness of wielding an axe. Yet, his grip was gentle and warm.

Taking a deep breath, he took a moment to consider his words. Truthfully, he didn’t know where to start. Or what to say even. He didn’t want to say ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ and pretend that none of it happened. That wasn’t healthy. It wasn’t fair.

Axel had been looking for him for eight years. He deserved to know the truth, right?

“…Eight years ago,” Lynus said, trying to keep his voice even. “Do you remember a man called Lord Taksony?”

“Yeah,” Axel replied with a confused furrow of his eyebrows. “I heard he was a right asshole.”

Despite himself, Lynus uttered a half-laugh. “Putting it lightly.”

“What about him?” Axel prompted him to continue.

Lynus’ shoulders drooped as he tilted his head to look at the floor. “…He kidnapped me.”

The hold on his hand instantly tightened. “What?”

“Eight years ago he came to our village, looking for a medic,” Lynus explained as he slowly lifted his head to look directly at Axel, smiling sadly when he saw the disbelief and pain in his eyes. “He found me.”

“You’ve been his captive this entire time?” Axel asked as he subconsciously moved protectively closer to him.

“Yeah…” Lynus whispered as he found himself lolling to the side to rest his head on Axel’s shoulder. “It was my duty to keep Lord Taksony alive, as well as catering to the other hostages.”

“There were others?” Axel asked with a sense of bitterness and anger, of which was so clearly not directed at Lynus himself. Although he had to deal with short words and harden demands for many years, hearing Axel speak so tersely was somewhat reassuring.

He wasn’t angry at him. He was angry on his behalf.

“There were many,” Lynus swallowed thickly as his vision unexpectedly began to blur. “Most of them didn’t make it.”

“You’re crying,” Axel whispered as he brushed a hand against Lynus’ cheek.

Startled, Lynus lifted his head from Axel’s shoulder and briefly touched his cheek. “I am?” he murmured, surprised by the fact that there was indeed tears staining his cheeks. He hadn’t cried in years. No, that was a sign of weakness, he wasn’t allowed to. He couldn’t. “S-sorry, I…”

He was unable to finish. A sob abruptly hitched in his throat and he covered his mouth with his hand. He suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotions. All the fear, the desperation, the sheer feeling of uselessness. It overcame him.

Lynus’ shoulders trembled as tears flowed unimpeded.

The tears didn’t let up for a moment, even as a pair of strong arms encircled him, pulling him against a warm body. Lynus leaned against Axel, tucking his head under his chin and pushing himself against his chest. His hands moved to grasp onto the material of Axel’s shirt, where he buried his face to smother the sobs and cries that just would not stop.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you,” Axel whispered with such remorse into his ear, his fingers threading through Lynus’ hair.

But Lynus shook his head, his grip on Axel’s shirt tightening. “It’s not your fault,” he whimpered. “I’m glad you weren’t there. He…he would have killed you. He would have done anything to get to me.”

“How did you escape?”

Lynus tensed, his eyes becoming wide. He…didn’t know how to answer that.  No, he couldn’t tell him. He couldn’t tell Axel that he killed Taksony. What would he say? What would he do? He killed someone. Medics don’t do that. He didn’t do that.

But he can’t lie to him. Telling the truth was probably for the best. It had to be revealed sooner or later. He couldn’t hide it. He couldn’t deny it.

If it…

If it meant that Axel would push him away, it was ok. Axel was alive and well. And they have succeeded in fulfilling their childhood promise. They’ve found each other.

After eight long years.

Conflicted, Lynus pressed himself firmly against Axel’s warm chest, a sob choking his words. “…I killed him.”

Instead of letting go, Axel held onto him tighter, almost desperately. He pulled him closer, onto his lap, one arm securely around his waist as the other continued to run reassuring and comforting fingers through Lynus’ hair. Lynus was surprised by the embrace, but completely and utterly grateful nonetheless. In fact, there were no words to even describe how it felt to have Axel still with him.

“He must have been a real monster to force you to do that,” Axel said, his words resolute and sincere.

More tears sprung to Lynus’ eyes as he suddenly realised that…yeah, he was forced into it. There was no other way. As long as Taksony lived, no one else was allowed to.

“I…I just wanted the pain to stop,” Lynus sobbed into Axel’s chest. “For everyone. Lirit, Binah, Rahas. We ran, leaving him for dead. I didn’t plan it, I mean…”

“You did what you had to,” Axel said firmly, comfortingly, his fingers tenderly playing with his hair as he rested his chin on top of Lynus’ head. “After everything you’ve been through, after everything he did to you, he deserved it. That bastard is lucky that he is dead.”

As the tears began to slow, Lynus found himself smiling a small smile. He nuzzled his head under Axel’s chin, relishing in the feeling that, for the first time in a very long time, he actually felt safe. It wasn’t just safety he felt, but warmth and security.

“I can’t believe it,” Lynus murmured as he feebly wiped away his tears with his hand. “You still know how to make me feel better.”

“I’ve never forgotten about you,” Axel whispered to him. “Not even for a second.”

Lynus’ smile became a little bit bigger. “You remember that promise we made when we were kids? It was the only thing that kept me going. One day I knew I would get to Lagaard somehow.”

Axel unexpectedly pressed his lips against Lynus’ temple as he whispered, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”

“It’s…It’s over now, isn’t it?”

“I won’t let you go back there,” Axel muttered. “I don’t care who I have to go through.”

“…I’ve really missed you,” Lynus whispered, exhausted mentally, emotionally and physically. Yet, he felt somewhat lighter. He hadn’t realised the heavy burdens he had been carrying. He had been in survival mode, ever since the day he was captured to the very present. That was all that mattered; survive from one sunrise to another.

But…but now, he didn’t have to just survive anymore.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

Lynus felt his eyes flutter close, his body and mind relaxing. “Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t.”

With those reassuring words, Lynus fell asleep, wrapped up in his best friend’s arms, the horrors of the last eight years slowly drifting away.

… … … … …

At that bottom of the stairs that lead to the private rooms of the Inn, there was a rather reasonable size gathering of explorers and locals. They were all gathered at the foot of the stairs, their attention drawn to a single closed door at the very top. A room that Axel and Lynus were occupying.

“What are they saying?” Macerio asked, wanting to venture closer, but unable to.

Beside him, Binah pouted as she cupped her ear, a look of sheer irritation on her face. “I can’t hear properly from this far away.”

Surprisingly, Chi-hung was situated at the top of the stairs, refusing to allow anyone past. Regardless of whether they had a legitimate reason or not. He would flick his tail in warning, his eyes narrowed in a rather vicious way. Anyone who had a room beyond was just out of luck. Try the window, if they were desperate.

“Dammit,” Macerio cursed as he folded his arms over his chest. “Why can Chi-hung listen in and we can’t?”

“Because white tigers don’t talk,” Tobyn retorted sharply as he rapped his knuckle on the back of Macerio’s head. “And they don’t exaggerate things, either.”

Macerio immediately spun around, pouting at the Survivalist. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Wow,” Angie sighed with a rather dreamy expression on her face. “Axel and Lynus are childhood friends?”

Beside her, Abigail agreed wholeheartedly. “Childhood friends being reunited is beautiful, huh?”

“Eh?” Macerio uttered as he whipped around to look at the two local girls in surprise. “You two are here, too?”

Becky lingered at the back of the group. “We shouldn’t be eavesdropping, right?”

“Well,” Lirit hummed in thought. “We’re not really.”

“Come on,” Macerio complained. “This has been eight years coming.”

“You haven’t waited eight years,” Jhon retorted with a roll of his eyes.

“Felt like it,” Macerio murmured bitterly before pointing an accusatory finger at the Protector. “Anyway, why are you here, Mr-White-Knight? Doesn’t eavesdropping go against your morals?”

Jhon’s right eyebrow twitched. “It’s hard to eavesdrop from this distance.”

Standing on the edge of the group, Magnus fidgeted. “Should we do something?” he asked, turning to Shen for answers.

“No point,” Shen replied swiftly, eying the crowd off critically. “It’s not like they can hear anything.”

“Shoo, the lot of you,” Hamza commanded as he suddenly appeared, moving toward the group to physically manhandle them if it came to that. “Leave the two alone.”

“Where have you’ve been?” Jhon asked as the crowd slowly began to disperse, not wanting to deal with a War Magus.

Hamza glanced at Jhon before looking over his shoulder at Rahas, who was lingering near the front entrance. He then abruptly turned his attention back to Jhon and smiled. “Got lost in conversation,” he said.


	15. Chapter 15

Axel had his back resting against the bed’s headboard, one leg hanging over the side of the bed, the other on, his knee bent. Against his chest laid Lynus, his head nuzzled under his chin, his hands gripping at the front of his shirt so tightly. And Axel’s arms were just as secure around him, one arm wrapped around his far too slender waist as other was around his shoulders, idling playing with the soft strands of his hair.

Lynus was sleeping peacefully, his chest raising and falling at a steady rhythm. His tears have dried up, his whimpers soothing out into gentle puffs of air.

Axel sat there silently, watching him sleep. While his outward appearance was calm, peaceful even, his thoughts were anything but.

He subconsciously tightened his grip around Lynus as he recalled their talk only moments earlier. It was hard to swallow, but he knew Lynus wouldn’t lie to him. It’s not in his nature. Even after those long eight years apart, he knew Lynus well enough to tell if he was withholding the truth.

And this truth made him god damn angry.

Taksony. That bastard. If he wasn’t already dead Axel would have hunted him down and slaughtered him himself.

He was also unreasonably angry at himself. He had always been Lynus’ protector. Some of the kids that grew up in their village believed that Medics were weak, so liked to pick on Lynus. But Axel would beat the snot out of them. He would get in trouble by the parents, but, shit, he didn’t care.

Beating up snot-nosed kids and taking on a lord who was notorious for being ruthless are two totally different things. He was just a kid himself, eleven at the time. What could he have done? Taksony would have just killed him, like Lynus had said.

So, despite all the facts that there was nothing he could have done at the time, Axel was still annoyed at himself for not being there for Lynus through those torturous years.

Axel can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for all those years. What Taksony must have done to force Lynus to use such extreme methods to gain freedom had to be nothing short of cruelty and suffering. He didn’t know how Lynus had killed him, but it was fairly certain that it was a quick death.

Definitely not what the bastard deserved.

Axel was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Lynus begin to stir against his chest. Immediately pushing aside his anger and hatred toward Taksony, he smiled as he nudged his small and skinny friend. “Hey, you’re awake.”

“Axel?” Lynus murmured with a slight sense of confusion, sounding as though he was still half asleep. “I fell asleep?”

“Only for a few hours,” Axel said. “You were exhausted.”

Lynus lifted his head as he rubbed at his sleepy eyes. He slowly turned to face Axel, his brows still furrowed in confusion. Slowly, as he reached consciousness, a look of surprised realisation flittered across his face. “This really isn’t a dream.”

“No,” Axel replied with a short laugh, his smile becoming warmer. “It’s not.”

The relief in Lynus’ eyes was blatantly obvious. He dropped his head against Axel’s chest again and shifted his arms so that he was embracing him in return. And they sat there for a while, simply relishing in each other’s company.

“What about you?” Lynus suddenly asked him, breaking the comfortable silence between them. “What happened with you during those eight years?”

Axel managed to suppress a wince. He really didn’t want to go into that so soon.

“Nothing, really,” he muttered. “No one knew what happened to you, where you went. You just disappeared. I didn’t believe that you could just leave, but no one was telling me anything. I focused on becoming a Landsknecht after that. When I was sixteen, I came here to Lagaard. The rest is history.”

“What happened to everyone in our village?”

Axel pressed his lips together in a tight line. This was what he didn’t want to get into so soon.

“Axel?” Lynus prodded, shifting in his arms so that he could tilt his head back to gaze up upon Axel’s face with a pair of pretty violet eyes. “What happened to my parents?”

Axel was unable to not tell him after looking in his eyes. He sighed and shook his head. “Soon after I left, a virus had struck our village. It…”

Lynus immediately stiffened, pushing himself away from Axel’s chest. “What?” he said, his face creasing into an expression of disbelief and distress.

“There was nothing you could have done,” Axel was quick to reply.

Lynus continued to look at him with those anguished eyes. He then collapsed back against Axel’s chest. “I’m sorry.”

Axel sighed as he wound his arms around Lynus once more. There was nothing he could say to ease his pain. Shocked the hell out of him, too, when he heard the news. Everyone he once knew, who he grew up with, was now gone. The only thing he had propelling him forward was the promise he and Lynus made to get to Lagaard. And, of course, the support of his guild mates.

Speaking of which, maybe a distraction would be good for him now.

“Lynus,” Axel said, gently nudging him after allowing him the time to grieve silently. “I want you to meet my guild.”

“Your Guild?” Lynus asked, seemingly pleased with the change of subject. He slowly pushed away from Axel, placing his feet on the floor. “What’s your name?”

“Guardians,” Axel replied as he, too, made the attempt to move and stand up.

“Guardians?” Lynus repeated, tilting his head to the side in query. Soon, though, a small smile appeared on his lips. “I’ve heard all about Guardians.”

Axel raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?” He then held out his hand for Lynus to take.

“Yeah,” Lynus said, slipping his hand effortlessly into Axel’s awaiting hand.

Axel helped Lynus to his feet and kept a hold on his hand as they left the room. Their room was at the very top of the stairs. And when they stepped out, Chi-hung was sitting at the top step, his tail swishing playfully. It appears as though he was guarding their room.

“Ah, Chi-hung?” Lynus murmured, somewhat surprised.

Axel smiled as he gave the white-tiger a quick pat on the head. “Thanks for giving us the privacy,” he said. Chi-hung simply purred in response.

Chi-hung then pushed onto all fours. He took a moment to nuzzle his head against Lynus’ side before prowling down the stairs. Axel tugged on Lynus’ hand, assuming that Chi-hung was leading them to where the others had gathered. And he was more than certain that his guild were situated in the Inn somewhere.

Sure enough, as Axel followed Chi-hung, he was lead into a private sitting room where every member of his guild was there, waiting patiently. Or in Macerio’s case, not so patiently.

Hamza was the first to realise their presence and stood up from his seat. As he did so, the room grew quiet and all turned their attentions toward Axel and Lynus.

“So, you’re the famous Lynus?” Hamza greeted warmly.

“I…” Lynus stuttered, not all that comfortable to be the centre of attention, it seemed. But as Axel gently nudged him further into the room, he looked around, realising dawning on him swiftly. “Oh, you’re…”

“We meet again,” Jhon said with a smile, Tobyn nodding his head in greeting beside him.

“Hello again,” Magnus said, a soft sense of happy excitement in his voice. And behind him, leaning on the wall with his arms folded over his chest was Shen, who also nodded his head in greeting.

“Hey!” Macerio greeted with a boisterous grin, pushing his way to the front of the group.

Lynus seemed positively flabbergasted. “You’re all from the same guild?” He then turned to look at Axel for confirmation.

“They’re my guild-mates,” Axel replied.

“I had no idea.”

“We haven’t had the pleasure to meet yet,” Hamza continued. “Seems as though I’m the only one who hasn’t. My name is Hamza, the leader of this guild. I’ve heard so much about you. And not just from Axel. Apparently you’ve helped a few of the locals out.”  
   
“Ah, old habits are hard to break, I suppose,” Lynus said bashfully, beginning to relax. His hands, though, seemed to be fidgeting, searching for something. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Well, this is a strange twist of fate, huh?” Macerio said as he leaned forward, invading Lynus’ personal space. “Axel was the one looking for you, yet we’re the ones you met first.”

“That is strange,” Lynus agreed, leaning back a little. He didn’t seem disturbed, though. Not enough to warrant Axel to intervene. Macerio was nosy, but he meant no harm.

“So what happened to you, anyway?” Macerio suddenly asked.

Ok, so Macerio was a little too nosy.

“Macerio,” Axel said in a warning tone, narrowing his eyes at him.

“What?” Macerio asked as he turned his attention toward Axel, confusion evident on his face. “I’m just asking.”

Lynus’ fidgetiness increased. “…Nothing that I had any control over,” he muttered.

Macerio whipped back around to Lynus, not quite catching what he said. “Eh?”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Axel interjected, leaving no room for argument. He took a moment to check on Lynus, who peeked up at him with gratitude in his eyes.

“Ah, yes.” Hamza was thankfully quick to catch on. “And it’s none of our business,” he added, giving Macerio a poke in the back to back-off.

“I suppose so,” Macerio murmured, pouting as he slunk away.

Jhon was also thankfully quick to catch onto the tension that the seeming innocent question had bought. “So,” he said, turning his full attention to Lynus. “How long have you’ve been in Lagaard?”

“Only a few days,” Lynus answered, seemingly comfortable with the Protector’s presence. “I met Shen on my second day here.”

“The same day I entered the Labyrinth…” Axel muttered, tisking as he did so.

“So you managed to get a job at the hospital, then?” Shen questioned from the back of the room.

“Yes,” Lynus replied with a smile as he glanced over in Shen’s direction. “There was a shipwreck just off the coast. I was kinda hired straight away.”

“I’m not surprised,” Jhon commented.

Lynus turned his attention back to Jhon. “How’s your leg, by the way?”

“It’s fine.”

Lynus then looked over to Tobyn, a silent question in his eyes.

“My arm is fine, too,” Tobyn answered.

“H-here,” Magnus said as he made his way over to Lynus, holding a carry bag in his hands. “The nurse from the hospital delivered your bag.”

“Oh, thank you,” Lynus said, a sigh of relief passing his lips as he reached out and took the bag that Magnus was holding toward him. He lifted the strap and effortlessly placed his on his shoulder. He looked less uncomfortable now as his fidgeting hands had something to hold on to.

“She also said that Dr Stiles said you can have the rest of the day off,” Magnus went on to say.

“Ah, that’s good to hear.”

Axel watched silently as Lynus spoke with his guild-members. It was relieving to see him get along with his friends and teammates. From what he could understand, Lynus had helped them all out at one stage. And they seem fond of him as well. Especially Magnus.

Good. Magnus was a sensitive and quiet person. He would get along well with Lynus.

“Lynus?”

Hearing the unfamiliar female voice softly question from the doorway, Axel turned to see a pink-haired Troubadour peering inside. Leaning over her shoulder was a familiar orange-haired Troubadour and behind him, looking awkward was a silver-haired Dark Hunter.

“Ah, Binah?” Lynus questioned as he turned to look over to the doorway as well. Soon a warm smile appeared on his lips and he beckoned them over. “Lirit, Rahas, come here.”

The two Troubadours anxiously made their way over to Lynus while the Dark Hunter entered at a more suspicious and leisurely pace. Binah wrapped her arms around Lynus’ waist, her face against his torso. Lynus returned the hug before turning his attention toward Axel, prompting the three newcomers to follow suit.

“This is Axel,” he said with a smile, a fondness in his eyes. “He’s my best friend from childhood.”

“Really?” Binah asked in childish awe as she disentangled herself from Lynus’ arms and trotted over to give Axel the once over. “You look strong.”

Axel gave her an amused look. “I’m a Landsknecht.”

“Wow,” she whistled, impressed. She then unexpected turned to share a look with Lirit. After a brief moment of silent conversation she nodded her head resolutely. “Kay.” She turned her attention back to Axel. “Please take good care of Lynus for us.”

Axel reeled his head back slightly in surprise.

“Binah?” Lynus said as he, too, sounded surprised.

Binah spun on her heel, practically throwing herself at Lynus in a hug. “I’m glad you have someone to protect you like you’ve done for us,” she said softly.

He words were soft, yet Axel was able to hear them. He instantly knew what she meant as he recalled the names of the others Lynus had escaped with.

“…Ah, I see,” Axel said. “These three are-?”

“Yeah…”

With two strides, Axel moved beside Lynus and placed his hand on top of Binah’s head. He leaned forward so that he could speak with her, to tell her something only she could hear. “I promise to protect him, no matter what.”

Binah smiled brightly up at him as he removed his hand, sincerely happy with his words. “Yay!”

“Ah, they are friends of yours as well?” Hamza asked in curiosity.

“I suppose you could say we’re like a little family,” Lynus replied, idly playing with the ribbons in Binah’s hair.

“So we’re staying here?”

“Yes,” Lynus quickly answered, glancing over in Axel’s direction. “We’ll be staying here for a long time.”


	16. Chapter 16

It was almost as if it was nothing but a dream.

And yet, as Lynus laid there in his bed, he could hear the steady breathing from the next bed over. He lolled his head to the side to see the sleeping form of Axel, lying on his back, one arm behind his head, the other draped over his stomach. As the morning sun peeked through the blinds, it almost appeared as if it was nothing more than a mirage.

But it wasn’t.

Axel was real. He was actually there. They had found each other again, despite all the odds.

Rolling over onto his side, Lynus rested his head in the crook of his elbow, spending a few silent moments simply gazing at Axel. Watching as his chest rose and fell as he breathed. It was still hard to believe that he was really there. He had dreamt this sight so many times in the past and had awoken to a pain unlike any other.

He had to keep reminding himself that it wasn’t a dream. Not anymore.

Two days had passed since Lynus and Axel were reunited. They had spent most of that time together. They weren’t around each other 24 hours a day, but close enough. They were sharing a room now.

It was nice being able to reconnect with each other after those long eight years. And it was easy to do, which was probably not all that surprising. Being able to open up to Axel, tell him everything that happened without fear of judgement or reprisal was so calming. Therapeutic, really. Axel knew what he had done, what he had to do to survive, what he did to escape. He knew it all.

And he stayed with him.

Just being with Axel made the eight years Lynus had suffered under Toksony’s iron control fade away. While the scars (mental and emotional) would take a while to heal completely, they were beginning to fade. The realisation that he was not going to go ‘back there’ ever again was completely and utterly reassuring.

Lynus had always told himself and the others that they were free, that they weren’t going to be held captive anymore. But to have someone like Axel, firm and resolute, take him by the shoulders, look him square in the eyes and say; “That will never happen again” really brought it home.

Speaking of home…

Lynus still didn’t know how to feel about the news of what happened to his and Axel’s childhood home. There was a mixture of emotions; sorrow, grief, regret, guilt. Sorrow and grief because of those he had grown up with were no longer alive. Regret and guilt because it was from a virus, which he might’ve, in some way, been able to cure.

But…if Taksony had not kidnapped him when he did, and Axel not taking the incentive to leave their village to become stronger; they both could have been killed by that virus. Or worse, Axel having succumbed to it without Lynus ever knowing what had happened to him.

That thought alone scared the hell out of him. He didn’t even want to consider that one.

But he was glad that Axel was honest with him, though.

Lynus was abruptly pulled from his thoughts but the sound of metal clanging together repeatedly and feet marching purposely loud up and down the hall outside the room.

“Wakey, wakey!” Matron sung as she bashed two cooking pans together. “Breakfast time!”

Axel immediately sat straight up in bed, floundering for a moment from the startling noise. His eyes were wide and his hand immediately began searching for a weapon that wasn’t there. He then groaned and promptly fell backwards onto his pillow a moment later, coming to his senses.

“Dammit, woman,” he muttered as he rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his palms. “Always scares the crap out of me every morning.”

Lynus gave a small laugh while trying to sooth his own rapid heart rate. He had heard about Matron’s wake-up calls from the mumblings of other explorers, but he had never experienced it himself. Usually, he woke up early (a habit of his) and would be up and about before Matron would rally the other patrons.

Did she really do that every morning?

“Might as well get up now,” Axel was heard muttering. He then began to pull himself out of bed, throwing off the covers and placing his feet on the floor. With bleary eyes, he pulled on his heavy set boots.

Lynus followed suit as he couldn’t lie around in bed all day. “So, what’s in store for today for you?” he asked as he, too, slipped out of bed. He opened the windows to let some light in, noting that it was going to be a warm and sunny day.

“Dunno,” Axel said around a yawn, roughly running his hand through his hair. “What about you?”

“The usual; working at the hospital,” Lynus replied as he slipped on his boots and white coat, instinctively reaching for his bag. “We’ve been getting a lot of foot complaints lately.”

Axel stood up and stretched his tall frame, lifting his arms over his head. He was dressed, but he wasn’t wearing his armour. The metal plating rested on the chair in the corner of the room. He didn’t wear his armour all the time, as there was no need to in town.  He liked to keep his axe handy, though.

Lynus wasn’t sure why, though. When asked, Axel would simply tell him before of ‘some moron’ and looked annoyed.

“Need to see what the old man has in store for us today,” Axel said as he opened the door to their room, holding it open for Lynus to walk out first. “Hamza has a habit of taking random requests. Keeps us on our toes.”

“I see,” Lynus laughed lightly as he and Axel began walking down the hall leading to the stairs. “I’ll see you at breakfast, then. I need to check on the others.”

Although he was no longer sharing a room with Binah, Lirit and Rahas (something they were both a little sadden, but accepting about), he continued to check up on them.

Lirit and Binah had settled into their new home well. Lirit was still helping out at the bar and Binah spent practically all her time hanging around the inn, keeping Becky company and helping Matron out whenever possible.

It was incredibly reassuring to see the two Troubadours opening up, rediscovering their freedom and their true selves.

And Rahas…was still keeping secrets from Lynus. He really didn’t know how to help him.

Pausing at top of the stairs as Axel continued down, Lynus sighted a couple of Axel’s fellow guild-members also appearing from their rooms. There was Jhon and Tobyn, the Protector looking bright and friendly, while the Survivalist was looking less than cheery. He probably wasn’t overly fond of Matron’s early wake-up calls either.

From the room next to their, Macerio and Chin-hung appeared. The brown-haired gunner stumbled out; his clothing wrinkled and hastily pulled on, a sleepy, bleary look in his eyes.  
The white-tiger followed him out, seemingly circling him, sniffing at him.

“I’m up, I’m up,” Macerio murmured, still sounding half asleep.

“Morning Axel,” Jhon greeted as Axel descended the stairs. Jhon then looked up the stairs, smiling warmly toward Lynus, greeting him as well. “Lynus.”

“Morning,” Axel replied as he absentmindedly flexed his shoulder.

“Morning, Jhon. Tobyn,” Lynus called out in return, smiling at them also. “Morning to you, too, Macerio and Chi-hung. See you at breakfast.”

As the members from the guild known as The Guardians gathered and headed to meet up with their leader, Lynus wondered absentmindedly where Magnus and Shen were. They were probably already up. Axel did mention that Shen liked the rise with the sun.

Turning to the door that lead to his old room, Lynus knocked lightly on the door. He made sure not to use his ‘secret knock’ that was used in the past. He didn’t want to accidentally remind them of those dark days.

“Lirit, Binah?” he called out as he knocked. “Are you a-?” Before he could finish that sentence, the door was pulled open. He expected as much. But what he wasn’t expecting to see was the person who opened it. “Oh! Rahas?”

Standing there, with his hand on the doorhandle, was Rahas. He was dressed, with his whip tied to his side, looking somewhat out of place. “…What?” he asked, fidgeting slightly.

“N-nothing,” Lynus said as he quickly got over his shock at seeing Rahas in the morning. He usually only saw him late in the evening, so this was a pleasant surprise. “Good morning.”

Rahas awkwardly shuffled back to let him in. “Yeah…”

As soon as he stepped into the room, he felt a pair of pair wrap around his waist in a familiar hug. “Morning, Lynus!” Binah greeted cheerfully.

Lynus allowed the small girl to hug him, taking this time to fix up the bows in her hair, straightening them out. “Sleep well?” Lynus asked, directing the question to everyone in the room.

“Yup!” Binah replied before she hopped merrily away from him, allowing him to check up on the others, like he usually did.

“Like a log,” Lirit answered as well.

“That’s good. Time for breakfast, then,” Lynus said as he idly smoothed out Lirit’s bed-hair with his hand. He then turned his attention to Raha, pleased to note that he was still there, lingering in the background. “You’ll be joining us, Rahas?”

“…Sure,” Rahas said with a shrug after a moment of somewhat awkward silence. “Why not?”

“I’m glad,” Lynus said, smiling. And he really was glad to hear him say that.

With the three in tow, Lynus led the way to the breakfast/dining room, of which was promptly filling with hungry and still rather sleepy explorers. He prompted those with him to go ahead and to get themselves a plate of food. He’ll get something to eat after making sure the others did.

He also wanted to wait for Axel and the others to join them.

“Binah, cookies are not breakfast,” Lynus tisked with a disapproving tone as he approached the pink-haired girl. “They are a snack or dessert with a cup of tea. Get some real food.”

“But I like cookies,” Binah pouted, trying to keep a firm grip on her plate.

“You can have cookies later,” Lynus said as he managed to wrestle the plate of cookies away from her, placing it aside and leading her over toward the smell of freshly baked goods. “Have some freshly baked bread with jam instead.”

“Strawberry?”

“Of course,” Lynus smiled as he helped her to fill up a new plate of some more filling foods. As he did so, he noticed from the corner of his eye that Lirit and Rahas were already sitting down at a table with plates of their own. Lirit appeared to be trying to engage Rahas in conversation, but he wasn’t participating.

Well, at least Rahas was eating something.

After getting a plate of food fit for an energetic Troubadour, Lynus escorted Binah toward where Rahas and Lirit were sitting. But as Binah sat down, Rahas pushed his plate aside and stood up. Apparently, he was done with breakfast.

“Rahas?” Lynus questioned, feeling somewhat deflated. “Are you done already?”

“I’m going for a walk,” Rahas replied, roughly scratching the back of his neck.

“Take care.”

“I’ll be fine,” Rahas retorted sharply, turning his back on Lynus and the others. “Stop fussing! Nothing’s going to happen. Right?”

The tension that Lynus had been subconsciously tensing in his shoulders lessened as he watched as Rahas hastily made a retreat. It was just…so reassuring to see him slowly beginning to accept that they didn’t have to be on their guard anymore.

He was slowly making progress!

Feeling much better, Lynus turned his attention back to Binah and Lirit. Binah was happily eating her food, the warm, soft bread soaked in strawberry jam. Lirit, however, seemed to be pushing the food around on his plate, not really enjoying it. He had a small smile on his face, but Lynus could see that it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Lirit?”

Lirit snapped his attention toward him, blinking with a slightly puzzled look on his face. He soon noticed the concern in Lynus’ voice and expression, and smiled sheepishly. “Ah, my throat is a little sore,” he admitted.

“Let me see,” Lynus said as he slid into a chair next to Lirit, perching on the edge so he faced Lirit’s completely. He lifted his hands and carefully felt around Lirit’s throat. His skin was slightly warm, but nothing too alarming. He could feel the subtle wince, though, when Lirit swallowed.

“Your glands are a little swollen,” Lynus said as he pulled his hands away, but not before casting a cure spell. “It wouldn’t be a good idea to do any singing today.”

“B-but…” Lirit began to protest, but his voice faded away, probably realising that it would be better not to argue with him.

“How about just playing some music?” Lynus suggested as a compromise, smiling. “If Bar-keeper Cass has a problem, I can speak with him for you.”

Lirit seemed happy with that. “Ok.”

“I’ll get you some honey tea,” Lynus said as he pushed himself to his feet. “That should help.”

“Thanks, Lynus.”

Making his way over the breakfast buffet, Lynus was somewhat startled by the sudden lull in the conversations around him. Confused, he glanced over to dining area’s entrance. He, however, smiled when the familiar forms of Axel and his guild-members stroll casually into the room. Axel was ahead of the group, speaking with Jhon, the two looking formidable despite their lack of armour and weapons. And so were the others behind them.

Turning around, Lynus hid an amused smile from the way everyone seemed to be regarding them. It was almost as if a band of badboys just blew into town. Quite funny, actually.

Lynus was pulled from his musings again a mere moment later. When…Fwumph! Axel just came up behind him and flopped across his back and shoulders, resting his chin on top of Lynus’ head. Lynus staggered half a step but managed to stay upright somehow, despite being caught completely off guard.

“Oof!” Lynus grunted under the weight, hunching forward. “Axel?”

“What’s for breakfast?” Axel asked as he arms fell over Lynus’ shoulders.

Lynus found himself rolling his eyes playfully and smiled. He mildly wondered what the other patrons of the inn thought of this unusual sight, but decided that he didn’t care much.

“Whatever you want,” he replied as he grabbed onto Axel’s arms and managed to pull the two of them toward the breakfast buffet. “I haven’t eaten yet myself.”

“Where’s the meat at?”

“Ah, meat, of course. That’s a man’s food.”

“Damn straight.”

Lynus found himself laughing warmly, and with genuine happiness, as his new companions also huddled around the breakfast buffet, playfully taunting and conversing with each other. Completely ignoring the way the other explorers in the room where whispering about them behind their backs. The Guardians filled their plates and headed for an empty table in the far corner, near the opened windows.

Macerio had already picked his food and had ushered Lirit over to join him and his guild. Binah wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but it was possible that she had taken off to see how Backy was feeling today.

Lynus took a seat next to Axel and Lirit, placing the honey tea in front of him. Lirit beamed up a grateful smile before wrapping his hands around the cup. His lifted the porcelain cup to his lips and took a long sip. It seemed to go down well. It should also help soothe the discomfort.

Satisfied, Lynus turned to his own meal, while subconsciously checking on everyone else. Next to him was, of course, Axel. His plate was full of an assortment of food, and he was happily enjoying it. He had a good appetite. He always did. He could eat like a horse and not gain an inch of fat.

That made a lot of people jealous when they were kids.

Next to Axel was Jhon. His plate wasn’t as full as Axel’s, but he had a healthy amount of food for someone who relied on pure strength. He seemed to understand what he needed in order to perform at his highest potential.

He was also keeping an eye out for Tobyn, who was sitting next to him. Tobyn’s plate was a little lighter, mostly fruit and bread. Jhon didn’t seem overly pleased about that as he picked a piece of meat from his plate and placed it on Tobyn’s. That earned him a minor glare from the survivalist, but nothing more than that.

Magnus opted for only a couple pieces of bread and a cup of tea. He seemed to be a bit cautious with his food. Hmm…maybe it’s because of his headaches? They seemed to be a problematic occurrence for him.

Next to him was Shen, he, too, opting for a rather plain and simple meal. He seemed to be rather fond of tea, though. Must be a Ronin’s special diet or something.

Chi-hung was lingering close to Macerio’s side, despite the way Macerio was trying to shoo him away for whatever reason. It took Lynus a moment to realise why, though.

Abruptly, Lynus leaned across the table and placed his hand on Macerio’s forehead. The Gunner was surprised, his eyes widen. Lynus, however, frowned when he felt the flustered warmth radiating from his skin.

“You have a fever,” Lynus muttered, his hand immediately glowing with a comforting green light as he uttered a refresh spell.

As the glowed died down and Lynus pulled his hand away, Macerio looked sheepish as he glanced around at his other guild members. He was probably hoping he could hide it from them, for whatever reason. He also looked kinda put off that Lynus was fussing over him in front of the others.

“Sorry,” Lynus winced apologetically. He, however, stood up and rounded the table, grabbing Macerio by the back of his shirt and pulled him to his feet as well. “We’ll be back in a minute.”

Then, with Macerio giving a short, but fruitless struggle, Lynus dragged him outside the room. He noticed from the corner of his eye that Axel and the rest of Macerio’s guild mates were watching.

“Did you hurt yourself?” Lynus asked the moment they were somewhere private. “A cut? A scrape?”

“I’m fine,” Macerio stated with a slight whine in his tone, shrugging himself out of Lynus’ grip.

Lynus shook his head. “You have a fever.”

“So?”

“Fevers don’t come about from a sunny disposition,” Lynus retorted. “A fever is the body’s way of fighting off infection. If it’s not from an injury, than maybe you’ve caught a virus. I don’t think you should go into the Labyrinth today.”

“But you fixed it!” Macerio protested, still looking far too flushed for Lynus’ liken.

“It’s only a quick fix, I’m afraid,” Lynus said, inwardly feeling dejected that he didn’t have the ability to relieve the fever completely. “Stress and physical exercise would make you feel worse.”

“Well, I’m not staying around here all day,” Macerio said as he pouted and folded his arms over his chest in a childish manner.

“Why don’t you hang around with Lirit?” Lynus suggested gently. “He isn’t feeling too well, either. That way you two can be miserable together and whine about how much Lynus sucks.”

Macerio seemed to try to resist the urge to smile, the corners of his lips twitching. Finally, he relented. “Fine. But I’m only going to keep Lirit company. I’m not sick or nothing.”

“Ok,” Lynus said as he smiled. He was pleased that Macerio had relented. And that he seemed to be getting along well with Lirit. “Look, I’m sorry for fussing over you in front of the others, but they were concerned, too.”

“Are you going to tell them?” Macerio asked.

Lynus opened his mouth to reply, to offer some reassurance, but someone interrupted him before he could utter a sound.

“No need. I heard everything myself.”

Startled, both Lynus and Macerio spun around toward the source of the voice. Immediately, their gazes fell upon the tall form of Hamza, whom of which looked rather amused as he leaned his shoulder against the wall in a casual manner.

Macerio immediately bristled. “Hey! It’s rude to eavesdrop!”

“Now, now,” Hamza said with a slight chuckle. “It doesn’t hurt to have a day off every now and again. Besides, we are only dealing with a few errands today. Nothing too crucial.”

Macerio appeared as if he wanted to argue in some manner, but he opted against it.

Hamza gave a short chuckle as he slapped a hand on Macerio’s shoulder. “Also, it’s best to remember not to argue with medics,” he said, teasingly.

Macerio winced and nodded his head mutely. Lynus smothered a laugh of his own when Hamza sent him a playful wink before removing his hand and walking into the dining room.

“Come on,” Lynus said as he pushed Macerio in the same direction. “Let’s get something to eat.”


	17. Chapter 17

Resting his chin on his hand as he gazed out the window, Lynus watched as a pair of blue birds flutter past. It was a beautiful day, the sun warm, the breeze gentle. He was currently in an office at the hospital, flipping through and studying the many reference books. He wanted to learn a bit more about the idea of using plants from the labyrinth to make medicines.

While Medica was a common item that explorers would take during their explorations, Lynus was hoping that medicines for other ailments, such as altitude sickness, stomach upsets and headaches could be made as well.

The thought of using ingredients from nature to make medicines had always appealed to him.

And, the research was helping him past the time. The hospital was pretty tame today. No major incidents, nothing like that at all. It was nice to have a slow day every once in a while. It probably won’t last, so it was important to relish the peace once it came.

“Eh, Lynus?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Lynus’ gaze fell upon a fellow medic with red hair and a pair of thin rim glasses perched on the edge of his nose. He was a friendly man, a few years older than Lynus himself. He was a senior medic, spending most of his time doing rounds at the hospital.

“Oh, Darrell,” Lynus greeted as he gave him his full attention. “Is something wrong?”

“Angie needs some assistance,” Darrell explained as he pushed up his glasses. “It’s those three again.”

Those ‘three’ he was referring to happened to be the infamous Cosmos Guild; Simmons, Gerald and Tiffany. They were a guild of only three, yet had managed to travel to the Second Stratum of the Labyrinth. However, they were constantly being saved by Axel and his guild. Everyone knew of them and some were surprised that they were even still alive. They were lucky in one sense, yet incredible unlucky in another.

Macerio liked to refer to them as being Lagaard’s Butt-monkeys, although Lynus wasn’t sure what that meant.

Lynus hadn’t really had much to do with them. He’s only heard of them in passing, or when Axel and his teammates would complain about them idly. However, Lynus couldn’t help but get the distinct feeling that Tiffany, the blonde-haired gunner, didn’t like him very much. It wasn’t like she did anything or said anything, it was just a feeling he got. She just seemed to look at him with annoyance from a distance. Gerald, the guild’s other gunner, was somewhat less hostile than Tiffany, but he appeared far too prideful. He didn’t really like being saved. And Simmons…was unique. Lynus didn’t know what to make of him. Axel was endlessly annoyed with him, though.

Well, anyway, if Guild Cosmos was here, then Axel might be as well. Axel and his guild had a few minor quests that needed to be fulfilled. Nothing too dangerous, or needed hours to fulfil.

“Ok, I’ll give her a hand,” Lynus said as he stood up from his seat, carefully putting his notes aside to come back to them later. Tomorrow, perhaps. He picked up his bag and headed for the door.

After receiving directions and thanking Darrell for the info, Lynus hurried his way to a private ward where explorers were examined before being treated. It wasn’t hard to find the room he wanted as he could hear the familiar voices arguing amongst themselves.

Stepping into the room, Lynus was relieved to see Axel leaning against the wall near the door, his arms folded over his chest as he looked at the three through one eye with distain. His expression immediately brightened, though, when his gaze fell upon Lynus.

“Axel,” Lynus greeted as he dropped his bag onto a vacant chair, focusing his entire attention on Axel. As a medic, he should be focusing on the task at hand, sorting out the injured from the not-as-badly injured. But, well…his personal priorities were slightly different.

Ok, so, they were only separated for a couple of hours. But that was irrelevant.

“You’re back.”

“Yeah,” Axel said as he unfurled his arms and pushed away from the wall. “I’m back.”

“You’re not hurt, are you?” Lynus asked, taking a moment to run his gaze over Axel’s tall frame, noting that his armour had a few dints and scraps, but was not fractured or damaged in any significant way. That was always a good sign.

“No, I’m fine,” Axel replied, a smile of reassurance on his lips. But a look of annoyance soon flittered across his face when he turned his gaze to his right, his eyebrow twitching. “These idiots, on the other hand…”

Lynus followed his gaze, shaking his head softly when he saw the familiar faces of the Cosmos Guild.

Tiffany was sitting in a chair, both of her boots off and her feet wrapped in thick bandages. “Again…” she muttered, biting the tip of his thumb in irritation, looking at no one in particular.

Gerald didn’t look much better, although he only had one foot bandaged. He was sitting in another chair, his arms folded over his chest in his usual manner, and looking like he was extremely frustrated. “Why is it always them?”

And then there was Simmons, who was sitting on a hospital bed, his left arm in a sling and a puzzled look on his face. Angie was beside his bedside, fussing over him. Looking at his shoulder, where his usual armour had been meticulously removed, his arm looked distorted and not how it was supposed to be.

“Why does my arm hurt?” Simmons asked, completely oblivious.

“Because it’s dislocated, moron,” Axel answered sharply.

Lynus winced at the obvious dislocation before turning to glance at Axel again, still subtly studying him. He couldn’t see any obvious signs of pain or discomfort. “Well, I’m glad you’re ok,” he said. Axel turned to look at him again, offering him another smile.

“Ah, stop moving!” Angie demanded suddenly with a slight shriek. “I need to set that shoulder!”

“I’m fine!” Simmons insisted, seemingly in the mood to be difficult and disruptive as he wiggled uncomfortably on the bed. “I don’t need any assistance!”

“But-!” Angie spluttered, doing her best to try to get the Landsknecht to keep still.

“That idiot,” Axel muttered under his breath, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Lynus sighed with a light sense of exasperation. He then drew in a deep breath, straightened his posture. “I’ll take care of this,” he said before striding forward. If Simmons wanted to be difficult, fine. Lynus had dealt with difficult patients before.

He was going to receive medical aid, one way or another.

Walking over to the table which held a tray of medical supplies, Lynus picked up the biggest needle there. He purposely picked it up and filled it with distilled water. This needle was generally used to flush out wounds, nothing more than that. But he was certain Simmons didn’t know that.

“Angie,” Lynus said, calling over to the blonde-haired nurse and handed her the needle. “Hold this please.”

“S-sure,” Angie said in blatant confusion, but opted not to question. Instead, she stayed silent, waiting to see what he was up to.

“W-what are you going to do with that?” Simmons stuttered profoundly.

Keeping the needle in sight, Lynus noticed from the corner of his eye that Simmons had his full attention on the needle, his face paling, his eyes widening. Good. Just as he had anticipated.

“Stand over here, please,” Lynus said as he gently nudged Angie to stand on Simmons’ right hand side, Simmons gaze following like a frightened rabbit.

“Ok,” Angie complied, keeping the needle out in front of her, holding in it such a manner that indicated she was ready and willing to use it.

“That’s,” Simmons gulped and laughed nervously. “That’s a big needle. Heh.”

Sneaking up to Simmons’ left side, Lynus paused near Axel and whispered to him. “Can you make sure he doesn’t move?”

Axel raised an eyebrow, seemingly bemused by what could be going on. However, he simply shrugged. “Sure,” he replied. In a couple of powerful strides, he reached Simmons sitting on the bed. He slipped up behind him and abruptly pulled him into a tight headlock. Simmons immediately made a choking noise, his body tensing up further, his fear becoming evident.

While Simmons was focusing on (and absolutely freaking out about) the actually rather harmless needle, Lynus grabbed Simmons left arm, holding it tightly. Not allowing the other man the chance to realise what he was doing, Lynus abruptly twisted and pulled the limb, swiftly forcing his shoulder back into place with a satisfying click and pop.

“Yeeooooooooooooww!” Simmons bellowed out in pain, startling the life out of his guildmates and Angie, who were in the direct path of his scream. His face was twisted into an expression of shock and pain. Angie’s ponytail very nearly danced about in the wind for his voice. “What the living fu-hey!”

Then, his expression changed abruptly and a broad, goofy grin appeared on his lips. “It doesn't hurt anymore!”

Trying to keep the newly relocated shoulder in its place, Lynus held on tightly and looked over to Angie, who was standing there, shocked and mouth agape. “Tape, please,” he asked, snapping her back to reality.

Blinking, Angie abruptly turned around, placing the needle back down and grabbing a roll of medical tape. “H-here.”

“Thank you,” Lynus smiled as he took the white tape from her. Using his teeth, he found the torn off end and pulled out a long strand. He turned his attention back to Simmons, who was still in Axel’s chokehold. “Now, don’t move,” he muttered.

“But it doesn’t hurt anymore,” Simmons immediately replied, but it only earned him a glare from Lynus and Axel tightened his hold around his neck.

“It will if you move,” Axel hissed out a warning into his ear.

Well, that stopped Simmons from squirming any further, allowing Lynus to carefully tape up his arm in a secure and professional way. He did it as quickly as he could, though, uttering a few soft refresh spells as he did so. The muscles and cartilage will be sore and swollen, so hopefully the spells would relieve the pain somewhat.

“Ok, done,” Lynus said, relieved, as he tied off the tape and reached for the sling to ease the burden on Simmons’ shoulder. “You can let him go now, Axel.”

Wordlessly, Axel relinquished his grip around Simmons’ neck and took a step back to allow Lynus to tie the sling behind his neck. Once that was done, he stepped back as well, feeling inwardly satisfied with the results.

“How did you do that?” Angie asked as she began to clean up.

“I read it in a book somewhere,” Lynus answered truthfully, shrugging slightly. “That’s actually the first time I did that.”

“That was amazing!” Angie praised him once again, prompting a light dusting of red to spread across his cheeks.

“So Simmons was your Guineapig?” Tiffany suddenly asked, rather tersely at that.

Well since you put it like that. “I suppose…” Lynus murmured as he went for his bag. He felt slightly deflated by that comment for whatever reason. Healing was important to him. It was his life. He honestly didn’t like it whenever someone questioned his methods. He needed to put that shoulder back into its proper place. However he did it, it was going to hurt.

“We all have to start somewhere, right?” Axel commented, he, too, sounding somewhat sharp and terse.

Glancing over to his red-haired friend, he found him glaring at Tiffany with slightly narrowed eyes.

“Besides,” Axel carried on. “I didn’t see you doing anything to help.”

“I-It’s not like I could!” Tiffany spluttered in response, her face slightly flushed.

Axel narrowed his eyes further. “Then keep your comments to yourself.”

A sense of reassurance washed over Lynus and he smiled. Axel was standing up for him. He did that when they were kids as well. It was comforting for him, on so many different levels. His support and understanding meant so much.

“Thanks for your help, Axel,” Lynus said, referring to both his verbal support and help with keeping Simmons still. “I wouldn’t have been able to keep him still if you weren’t here.”

Throwing one last look of annoyance at the three explorers, Axel turned his back on them and focused his attention on Lynus. He walked over to him and leaned against the wall near where Lynus was standing. “Anyway, are you busy right now?”

“Hm?” Lynus hummed in thought as he heaved his bag onto his shoulder. “No, not really. It’s rather quiet today. I was just doing some research. What about you? How was the Labyrinth?”

“Eh? Not bad,” Axel comment with a slight shrug of his right shoulder. “We’re having a bit of trouble with those moving tiles, though.”

Lynus tilted his head to the side in question. “Moving tiles?”

“It’s these black things on the ground that hurt your feet,” Axel explained plainly. “Not entirely sure what they are to be honest. It’s getting hard to move around them.”

“Hurt your feet, huh?” Lynus muttered. Well, that would explain the influx of explorers and knights coming in with injured feet. Surely there had to be some kind of armour or item that could be made or used to lower the effect of these moving tiles. He didn’t really like the idea of explorers hurting their feet. They needed to be fit and healthy in order to avoid any potentially life-threatening battles. They wouldn’t be able to do that if their feet were injured.

Maybe Abigail and Thompson from Sitoth Trading could come up with something.

“I wonder…”

“Hey, we’re still here, ya know?”

Quickly snapping out of his musings, Lynus turned his attention back to the three explorers, blinking when he realised that they were still there. He was certain they would have made a break for it now. Dr Stiles and Angie had complained how they would always skip out the second they received treatment.

Still recovering or not.

“You are free to go,” Lynus said, glancing at the three of them. Tiffany looked sulky, Gerald looked as if he had enough and Simmons looked fidgety. “Simmons’ not allowed to use that arm for a while, though. And you two need to keep off your feet as much as possible.”

“How long?” Gerald asked in his usually brisk manner.

Lynus thought for a moment. Whatever he said, they weren’t going to like it. “At least three days.”

“Three days?” Tiffany whined, just as he expected her to. “What are we supposed to do for those three days?”

Lynus felt a frown pull at his lips. He was feeling slightly annoyed now. There was just something in Tiffany’s tone that made him feel as if his healing (and those of his fellow nurses and medics) wasn’t good enough. Almost as if he was the cause to their pain and suffering.

There wasn’t any more he could do. He wasn’t a miracle worker. He could heal injuries, but strains and tiredness could not be healed by any form of healing or medicine. Only rest and sleep could do that.

He did the best that he could.

“Hey,” Axel once again cut in. “It’s not our fault that he’s an idiot and that all three of you are hurt, now is it? Spend those three days getting yourselves properly prepared for your next move. Stop whining.”  
   
Tiffany winced and looked momentarily ashamed with how she was acting. She didn’t appear willing to apologise, though. She folded her arms tightly over her chest and slumped back in her chair. It was reasonable that she was annoyed because of her current predicament. But it didn’t mean she could take her frustration out on those who were only trying to help.

“Come on,” Axel said as he reached out toward Lynus, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and led him out of the room. “Let’s head back to the inn.”

“Ok,” Lynus said, pausing for only a moment to glance over his shoulder at Angie. “I’m heading out now.”

“Kay,” Angie replied absentmindedly. “Good work today!”

“You too.”

Lynus unconsciously shuffled closer to Axel, easily becoming reaccustomed to the way Axel’s arm felt around him. “How are the others, by the way?” he asked. “Any injuries?”

“Meh. You’ll just have to see for yourself,” Axel comment with a sly smile and an amused eyebrow reaching toward his hairline. “Wouldn’t believe me otherwise, eh?”

“Of course I believe you!” Lynus exclaimed, pouting slightly. “It’s just…”

“Maternal instinct,” Axel offered.

“Yeah,” Lynus agreed. He then paused, taking a moment to allow the words to sink in. “Wait, what? Maternal?”

Axel just laughed, his arm ever tight and secure around his shoulders as they left the hospital. “Besides, there’s something waiting for you there.”

“Something waiting?” Lynus questioned, his curiosity rising. “What do you mean?”

“Again, you’ll see when you get there.”

“Don’t tease me like that,” Lynus said as he nudged Axel’s side

“I’m not doing anything,” Axel insisted as they walked through the streets, ignoring the bustling locals and explorers around him.

They continued to exchange friendly and light teasing along the way, reminding Lynus of childhood memories. The childish taunts, the friendly ribbing; it was also light, never pushing the boundaries. It was a nice, nostalgic feeling.

The moment he and Axel walked into the lobby of the Inn, Lynus was pulled from his musings by someone calling his name. There, standing at the reception desk was Abigail, the young lady carrying a staff of some kind. “Mr Lynus!”

“Oh, Abigail?” Lynus said with a slight sense of concern as he and Axel parted. “Is something wrong?”

“Papa’s hand is fine now,” Abigail immediately replied, cheerfully, and with a sense of personal relief.

“That’s good to know,” Lynus said in earnest, his concern morphing into curiosity.

Abigail continued to smile. “We have something for you.”

“For me?”

“Yep! Daddy made it for you,” Abigail explained as she hefted the staff she was holding, pushing it out in front of her toward Lynus. “We wanted to say thanks for helping him when he hurt his hand.”

Lynus quickly realised that the staff she was holding as the intended gift she was alluding to. “This is…?” he murmured, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“It’s called a Shard Mace.”

“T-thank you,” Lynus said as he reached out with both hands, taking the staff that was being presented to him. That last time he held a staff, he…

But as he wrapped his fingers around the weapon, lifting it up, it felt different. It was warmer, lighter. There had been great care taken in the making of this staff. Lovingly crafted, the items used to make carefully chosen. It wasn’t just some weapon given to him to make him more useful.

This weapon was crafted as a gift, not a tool.

“What do you think?” Abigail asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“It’s wonderful,” Lynus answered sincerely, his grip on the staff becoming more confident as he pulled it against his chest. He was feeling a little choked up to be completely honest. “I never expected something like this.”

“Heehee,” Abigail giggled, happy of his reaction. “Daddy really wanted to thank you. But it was Mr Hamza and Mr Axel, and of course their guild, that gathered the items necessary.”

Lynus glanced over to Axel, his gaze immediately colliding with his. The confidence and sincerity in his gaze almost brought tears to his eyes. “Really?”

Axel quirked his head to the side, his smile warm as he shrugged. “You’ve gave enough. It was about time you received something in return.”

Lynus didn’t know what to say, or do. He had never received a gift before. Not for a long time. He honestly can’t remember the last present he was given. When Thompson and Abigail said they wanted to thank him, he wasn’t really expecting anything. He never helped anyone with the expectation of getting something in return.

As if reading his mind, Axel suddenly pulled him into a hug. He didn’t say anything, he just held him. He must have seen the conflict and bewilderment on his face.

Lynus closed his eyes as tears threatened to fall, returning Axel’s embrace. He had always known it, but it was now official. Coming to Lagaard was the best decision he had ever made.

This was his true home now.


	18. Chapter 18

Making his way through the streets of Lagaard, Lynus felt a sense of community when he began to recognise some familiar faces. Most he knew names of, others he remembered from the hospital where he offered them some aid. In return, those familiar seem to remember him as well.

A smile. A nod. Or a simple look of realisation.

It was actually kind of nice. It meant that he was becoming a part of the community. That he was settling in himself. He had been so worried about Binah, Rahas and Lirit, and whether or not they were allowing themselves to enjoy their freedom, that Lynus hadn’t given himself much thought.

Was he feeling content?

He was. Why shouldn’t he be? He met with Axel again, had a steady job at the hospital, a roof over his and his ‘family’s’ head and was making a lot of friends.

So, yeah, he was happy. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to simply be. He wasn’t on guard; he wasn’t waiting to be useful. He was making his own decisions, doing things on his own.

Despite the eight years of being a captive, it was a surprisingly easy transition.

With another request in hand from the hospital, Lynus was making his way to the ever familiar Stickleback Bar. It was a simple request, merely asking any guild to gather more ingredients to make Medicas. Something the guilds themselves would benefit from.

Besides, he also wanted to check up on Lirit. He had a sore throat yesterday, but Lynus didn’t have the chance to see if his throat had healed that morning as he had to rush to the hospital to offer a healing hand with the sudden influx of injured solders.

It had been a rather busy morning. Thankfully, he had the rest of the afternoon off.

He was becoming accustomed to the daily events of Lagaard.

But, as he stepped into the bar, he wasn’t expecting the sight that greeted him. The bar was sparse, not too unusual this time of day. However the familiar group of explorers that were gathered around a table, stripped down to their undergarments, were.

“What?!” Tiffany shrieked as she grabbed her hair in despair, her usually blue coat and fur hat were missing. She was even missing one boot. “How could you win again?!”

Dressed in only a pair of shorts and a shirt, Gerald sat on a chair with a look of utter disgruntlement on his face. “This is ridiculous,” he said, folding his arms over his chest in a standoffish way.

In even less clothes was Simmons, wearing only a pair of shorts, but still in the possession of his axe. “Did I lose again?” he asked, looking at his fellow guild-members with a bewildered look.

“Shut up, Simmons.”

Sitting silently in the middle of the three, with no emotion on her face, was a female Hexer. She was wrapped in a red and orange coat, her dark eyes half-lidded, making the red marking on her skin to stand out more. Around her was a treasure trove of items, including clothes, weapons and items.

And scattered out on the table was a deck of playing cards.

Lynus soon realised what had been going on and he quickly made his way over to Barkeep Cass, whom of which was wiping a glass with an air of mild amusement of what was going on around him. “Er…Strip poker? In the middle of the bar?”

Cass immediately let rip a loud chortle. “Haw haw! Stupid bastards don’t realise that some Hexers can read minds.”

“…Read minds?” Lynus whispered, his heart skipping a beat and a sense of panic quickly rising. He grasped the strap of his bag with one hand, while the other clutched the staff against his chest.

…C-could all Hexers read minds? What about Zalaph? He acted strangely that night where Lynus initiated their escape. But, there was no way he could have read his mind. Lynus acted in the spur of the moment. He didn’t even have an inclination of escaping or…putting Taksony out of his suffering. He was simply following orders!

There was no way he…

_No, calm down_ , Lynus ordered himself. There was really no way Zalaph could have known anything beforehand.

They were safe in Lagaard, a place that neither Zalaph nor Avith knew about. There wasn’t anything to worry about.

…Right?  
   
“I am seriously pissed off!” Tiffany suddenly yelled, startling Lynus from his panic induced thoughts. She slammed her hands on the top of the table and pushed herself to her feet. She then turned on her heel and began to stalk away.

“So much for a quick buck,” Gerald said as he, too, picked himself up and began to leave. He tried to walk away while holding his head high. But it was easy to tell that he was infuriated and humiliated. “Why do I even listen to you?”

“Wait for me!” Simmons called as he scrambled to his feet in effort to follow them.

Tiffany spun around to offer Simmons some kind of insult. However, her gaze collided with that of Lynus and she immediately looked indignant, annoyed and highly embarrassed. “What are you looking at?” she asked him tersely, placing her hands on her hips.

Somewhat glad for the distraction from his previous thoughts, Lynus offered the disgruntled gunner a smile. He should simply smile and nod, and leave them be. But he couldn’t help but feel a sense of disproval.

“You have three days off,” he said, unable to hold his tongue. “You have a strange way of preparing for your next jaunt into the Labyrinth.”

A crimson blush immediately flared across Tiffany’s features. “Oh, shut up!” Then her stalk turned into a hasty exit. Gerald and Simmons were right behind her.

But before he left, Simmons turned and offered Lynus a wave, smiling. Completely oblivious to his state of undress. “Bye!”

“Bye, Simmons,” Lynus returned the wave, both startled and amused, slowly beginning to relax again. “Take care of that shoulder.”

As Lynus turned back to Cass, intent of handing him the request from the hospital, the Hexer rose from her chair. Then, using the torn lengths of her coat, she gripped her many winnings and floated off. She glided across the floor in a straight line, not uttering a sound.

The way she moved, so stealthy and silent, it forced Lynus to recall Zalaph once more.

But before he could allow his thoughts to wander further, the young female Hexer collided with a wall. She hit the solid structure and fell straight back, dropping all her winnings as she hit the floor. She didn’t even bounce or wince. She just fell back, her form rigid and tense.

Lynus blinked.

Cass, however, let out another loud laugh. “Haw haw! There’s a wall there, sweetheart!” he called out in a good-natured way. He didn’t sound remotely surprised or concerned. From the way he responded, she had done this before.

“Is she all right?” Lynus asked, bewildered.

“That’s Kerri. She does that a lot,” Cass explained with a toothy grin, picking up another glass to clean. “Hexers can be pretty spacey. Haw haw haw!”

“I’ll…go see if she’s ok,” Lynus said, lamely pointing at the girl who was still lying dazed on the floor.

Cass’s smile turned into a sly smirk. “Medics are pretty persistent too, huh?”

Lynus decided not to answer that. Instead he made his way over to the Hexer he now knew was named Kerri cautiously. “Are you all right?” he asked as he crouched down near her.

Kerri slowly raised herself into a sitting position. Unhurriedly, she turned her eyes to him. They were blank and slightly hazy. “…”

“You have a nasty bump on your forehead,” Lynus said, noting that slight redness on her brow. Her nose looked somewhat swollen as well, but he was more concerned about the bump on her head. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

Still, Kerri continued to look at him blankly, making no attempt to verbally communicate with him. “…”

Lynus was feeling stumped and concerned. Was her silence a sign of a concussion? Or was her muteness simply who she was? Cass didn’t seem concerned. Did she do this a lot?

Unexpectedly, Kerri quirked her head to the side as she finally spoke. “You’re pretty,” she said, her voice whispery and airy, but firm and resolute nonetheless.

Lynus reeled his head back slightly in surprise. He wanted her to respond him in some way, but he was most certainly not expecting that!

Before Lynus could utter another word, Kerri rose to her feet once more, gathering her winnings effortlessly and floated off, leaving a dumbfounded Lynus behind.

The stunned silence was broken by Cass once again finding great amusement in the situation. “Haw haw! She likes you!”

Lynus blinked…Hexers were an unusual breed, weren’t they?

“So, ah…” Lynus muttered, shaking his head to rid himself of his bewilderment. He walked back toward the bar, remembering the reasons he came in the first place. He pulled out the note he had received from Dr Stiles and offered it wordlessly to Cass. As Cass took the quest, pinning it up on the notice board, Lynus took a moment to look around. It was then that he realised that Lirit, the second reason for his visit to the bar, was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Lirit?” he asked, turning back to Cass.

“Has the day off,” Cass explained. “He’s been hanging around with that Hamza guy. And that scrawny Dark Hunter. What was his name again…?”

Lynus’ eyes widen subtly in surprise. “Rahas?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“I see…”

Lynus wasn’t entire sure what to make of that. He was curious as to why they were with Hamza, the leader of Axel’s guild. Were they, too, interested in exploring the Labyrinth?

“Dammit, Simmons!” A familiar voice suddenly yelled, disgruntled and annoyed. “I’m not going to battle you, ya dumbass! God damn.”

Lynus immediately whipped around to see the muscular form of Axel amble inside the bar, being accompanied by Jhon and Tobyn. Jhon was laughing while Tobyn was busying himself by looking through a carry bag. Axel was looking outside, making an offensive gesture with his hand.

A smile tugged at Lynus’ lips as he watched.

“Oh, shut up, Jhon,” Axel said as he nudged the Protector with his arm.

“Must be interesting to have a rival,” Jhon commented, smiling with amusement.

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t have one,” Axel retorted with a snort. “Anyway, why was that idiot practically naked?”

“Definitely a sight I could have done without,” Tobyn murmured, a look of utter distain on his face. His eyebrow even gave a subtle twitch.

“Especially with your iron-clad memory,” Jhon added, sympathetically.

“He lost a game of strip poker,” Lynus explained as he approached the three, smiling as he playfully held his staff behind his back. “His entire guild did.”

“Oh, hey, Lynus,” Axel said, surprised to see him. A warm smile soon appeared, though, as he regarded him. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just checking up on Lirit, but he’s not here,” Lynus said.

“Oh, I think I saw him on the first floor of the Labyrinth,” Jhon offered an explanation as Tobyn silently moved past, heading toward Cass with items for a request, no doubt. “Hamza and Macerio was with him.”

“I guess he was curious about the Labyrinth,” Lynus said, reluctantly accepting it as he leaned against a table. “Can’t say I blame him.”

Lirit and Rahas should be safe with a seasoned explorer like Hamza. And Macerio was there, as well. Two experienced explorers. They wouldn’t throw the two into any kind of dangerous situation. They were safe. And it was only natural that the two would want to explorer an exciting place like the Labyrinth. Who wouldn’t?

But Lynus couldn’t help but worry. Working in the hospital didn’t cast the Labyrinth in a good light, after all.

“Anyway, here,” Axel’s voice pulled Lynus’ out of his musings. “Got you a gift from the Labyrinth.”

“Really?” Lynus asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity as Axel dug around in his back pocket. He then pulled out a beautiful crystal, a light bluish-green in colour and was roughly cut into a tear-drop shape. He immediately felt drawn to it. “What is it?”

“It’s an Amazonite,” Axel answered as he placed the crystal into Lynus’ hand, moving to lean against the table as well, next to him so he could be closer to him.

“It’s beautiful,” Lynus said as he held the crystal carefully, letting it rest in the palm of his hand. “How did you get it?”

Axel shrugged casually. “Dug it up from a mining spot.”

“I see,” Lynus murmured as he subconsciously leaned against Axel’s shoulder. “It’s really beautiful.”

Axel chuckled. “I thought you’d like it.”

Trailing his fingers idly over the stone, Lynus glanced up at Axel. “How did the quest go?”

“Nothing special,” Axel replied, once again shrugging. “Someone just wanted a sample of what could be found on the second stratum.”

Lynus smiled, thinking not only the newest gift Axel had given to him, but also to the wand that was presented to him just yesterday. It was crafted from items made from the Labyrinth. Even the medicines that he used at the hospital were made from flowers and herbs from the Labyrinth.

So…maybe it wasn’t so bad.

“It’s really amazing the things that can be found inside the Labyrinth, isn’t it?” Lynus said, his gaze looking directly into Axel’s eyes. “Tell me a bit more about it.”

Axel was momentarily surprised, but he soon smiled and was willing to indulge him in his curiosities. “Sure.”

… … … … …

It was nearing midnight, but Lynus was still awake. He was currently sitting at the top step of the stairs, waiting for someone. He wasn’t waiting for Rahas, though. The young Dark Hunter had already returned to the Inn, looking ragged and tired, but not cut up and bruised. A much better improvement than his previous state.

No, the person he was waiting for was the person he suspected to be the one responsible for Rahas’ change.

After hearing footsteps, Lynus silently pushed himself to his feet in order to greet the one he was waiting for. He slowly descended the stairs and approached him cautiously before he entered his room.

“Mr Hamza?”

The dark-haired War Magus turned to face him, slightly surprised to see him. He, however, smiled politely nonetheless. “Hm? Mister? There’s no need to be so formal.”

“Sorry,” Lynus immediately said, the tension fading from his shoulders. “I just wanted to thank you, for looking after Rahas for me.”

Hamza appeared as though he had been expecting to hear those words, and simply nodded his head in understanding. “He seems very fond of you,” he added.

A sad smiled tugged at the corners of Lynus’ lips. “We’ve known each other for eight years.”

“Yes, I know.”

Lynus sucked in a sharp intake of air, feeling suddenly nervous and uneasy. There was a rather knowing tone in Hamza’s voice, his gaze telling. “Pardon…?”

Hamza’s gaze held his own, the smile fading from his lips as he looked serious. “He’s mentioned something about someone possibly coming after you.”

“M-me?” Lynus stuttered as his heart-rate increased alarmingly. “What else did he-?”

“He’s vague in his answers,” Hamza was quick to respond, a gentle smile returning. “And, in all honesty, it’s none of my business. I have no right to pry into someone’s past.”

Lynus nodded his head as he released the breath he had unintentionally been holding. “…Thank you,” he said in earnest, offering a shaky smile. Thinking about his past was something he could do without tearing up. It was fact to him. He lived it. It was over now. But that didn’t he want anyone else to know what he had to do. He didn’t want to talk about it.

It was ok for Axel to know, though. Because Axel was…Axel. His friend, his reason, his security.

But…he wasn’t the only person to have gone through that. It only made sense to Rahas, Lirit and Binah needed someone to confine in as well. Someone who wasn’t Lynus.

So, it was all right, wasn’t it? It was good that Rahas was able to speak with someone else, talk about things he couldn’t with Lynus.

“Rahas…is hurting,” Lynus admitted softly, guilt and sadness gnawing at him. “And there is nothing I can do to help him. I’m relieved to know that someone is helping him focus his energy into something constructive.”

“He’s a very determined young man, that much is certain,” Hamza commented with a slight tone of amusement.

“Stubborn, more like it,” Lynus said with a half-chuckle. His expression soon turned sombre again. “He kinda lost his purpose not too long ago and is desperately searching for meaning to his life. I guess I’m that reason. But I…”

“I understand,” Hamza said as he placed a hand on Lynus’ shoulder, stopping him from saying anymore as he could see that it was hurting him as well. “I’ll continue to help him in your stead.”

Lynus managed to pull a small smile to his lips. “Thank you.”

“It has become late,” Hamza stated as he removed his hand from Lynus’ shoulder. “We should retire for the night.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Lynus agreed, nodding his head. “Goodnight.”

As Lynus turned to move back up the stairs, Axel suddenly came stumbling out of their shared room, his hair messy and his eyes sleepy. “Eh? Lynus?”

“I’m here,” Lynus said as he rushed up the remaining stairs, placing his hands on Axel’s chest as Axel’s own hands grasped at his upper arms. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just…” Axel murmured, sounding still half-asleep as his hold on Lynus tightened a fraction. “I woke you and you weren’t there.”

“Sorry,” Lynus said as he smiled warmly, immediately understanding what he was feeling. “Let’s go back to bed.”

“Kay.”


	19. Chapter 19

Dumping his bag onto the table, Lynus decided that he couldn’t put it off any longer. His bag was starting to get heavy. Books, journals, random notes, medicines; he had the habit of throwing whatever he needed, used or was given to him, into his bag. He needed to do a clean out.

His bag was also starting to get a little haggard and worn. No surprise, really. He’s had it for eight years, and it’s been through a lot.

Maybe he should get a new one?

Emptying the bag, it was no surprise to find several bottles of medica, random cough drops and bandages. Rolled and scrunched pieces of paper. No random lumps of food, thankfully. He also had several notebooks. One in particular caught his attention.

Lifting up the notebook, Lynus immediately froze, his throat tightening. He recognised the tattered corners and scruffy cover immediately. It was a medical journal. Lord Taksony’s personal medical journal.

He slowly lowered himself to sit on a chair, holding the book in his hands.

Against his will, he began to idly flip through the notes. He looked at his handwriting; short, terse and to the point. He didn’t read any of the words, he just looked. He trailed his fingertips over the words that were scribbled with a trembling hand. There were many.

Sitting on the chair, the book lying on his lap, Lynus felt a wave of emotions wash over him. He could still remember what it felt like to wake up in the mornings with a sense of dread and the selfish sense of devastation that he lived through the night. He remembered the constant need to be as useful as possible and looking busy. He remember offering comfort to other hostages, holding them as they cried in his arms, only to learn the next day that they had gone suspiciously missing.

Those were the hardest.

Lynus abruptly slammed the book shut and rubbed at his eyes with the palm of his hand. His throat felt tight and dry, his eyes hazy and gritty. He also felt as though he had just been punched. All these emotions, feelings. This book was bringing up things he wanted to forget.

The thing he remembered the most, though, was the sheer desperation and silent determination to end the suffering. That hollow thud. The spluttering, dying gasp. The overwhelming silence.

He killed a man. One blow. That was all that took.

A medic was supposed to save lives, not take them.

“Lynus?”

Running his hand over his face, pushing back any tears that threatened to fall, Lynus turned to face the door. He managed a shaky smile when he saw Axel standing there. Concern was evident on his features, his brow furrowed and a frown upon his lips.

“What’s wrong?” Axel immediately asked as strode into the room, making his way over to him.

“Oh, it’s…just medical notes,” Lynus answered, indicating to the worn book in his hand.

“Medical notes?” Axel repeated, looking confused, no doubt wondering why Lynus was looking frazzled and sombre over some medical notes.

“From…you know…” Lynus trailed off. He didn’t want to say it anymore. He just wanted to forget.

Axel immediately understood, an expression of realisation flittering across his face for a moment before a look of bitterness settled in. “Can I see?”

Lynus was mildly surprised by his request. “Uh, sure.”

Axel took the notebook from him and sat himself down on the edge of his bed. He was silent as he flipped through the pages, the crease in his brow deepening as he did so. “The guy was a walking corpse, wasn’t he?” he finally commented, still leafing through.

“He was very sick,” Lynus agreed.

“In more ways than one,” Axel muttered as he slammed the book shut roughly. “You were literally the only thing keeping him alive. I feel both impressed, yet utterly pissed off.”

Lynus decided not to say anything. He simply looked down at his hands that were in his lap, clenching and unclenching in a fidgeting manner. Then, keeping the book in one hand, Axel reached over and gently took Lynus’ hand in his. Lynus lifted his gaze to look upon Axel’s face.

“Are you all right?” he asked, sincere concern in his eyes.

Lynus managed a small smile, squeezing Axel’s hand back. “Yeah, I’m ok.”

He was going to be ok.

Those days were over now. No longer did he have to heal the young captives who had been punished for being ‘useless’. No longer did he wake up at the crack of dawn, hoping that he wouldn’t hear news of a hostage that has gone ‘missing’.

He was no longer trapped. He escaped. So did Rahas, Binah and Lirit. They weren’t going to go back. No way. Not without one hell of a fight.

…They’ve come so far, haven’t they?

“Do you have others?”

“Journals?” Lynus questioned, blinking in confusion. Still keeping a hold on Axel’s hand, Lynus turned back to his bag and picked up another journal. This one wasn’t solely used for Taksony, but it did have some notes regarding him and his most loyal of cronies. “Um, yeah. This one is also-”

“I’ll take that,” Axel stated, taking the book, keeping it together with the book he already had. Then, using the hand that was still holding Lynus’, Axel tugged Lynus to his feet.

“Axel?” Lynus asked, his puzzlement growing thicker as he allowed Axel to pull him along. “What are you-?”

“We’re going to throw these in the fire place,” Axel stated firmly, in a way that left no room for argument. Still holding hands, they left their room and descended the stairs. “You don’t need them anymore. There’s no point carrying it around anymore.”

“…That’s true,” Lynus said as they walked into the lobby, heading toward the tea room where a fire place was usually kept roaring in order to offer the room comfort and warmth. “To be honest, I sort of forgotten about it.”

“Then,” Axel said as he paused in front of the fire place, the tea room thankfully empty for the moment. He turned to Lynus, holding up the books for him to take. “Let’s get rid of it.”

Lynus looked at the journals in silence for a moment. He has had them for so long. So many notes, so many medical breakthroughs were written in those pages. But…

Axel was right. He didn’t need them anymore. They weren’t of any use.

“Sure,” Lynus said as he removed his hand from Axel just so he could grasp the two books in his hands. Then, wordlessly and without hesitation he tossed them into the raging fire.

The paper immediately burst into flames, the pages charring and curling into black ash. Lynus stood there in front of the fire place, watching the red and orange flames dance and consume the notebooks.

The flames were a symbol. They were burning away memories of fear and resentment. This was exactly what he needed. He still felt the heavy weight of his past, but he was slowly releasing it, bit by bit.

The worst was behind him now. A positive future lies ahead. All he needed to do was accept it gracefully.

Axel wrapped an arm around Lynus’ shoulder, pulling him toward him, turning him around so that he was pressed against his chest. He lowered his head to whisper into his ear. “That bastard has no power over you anymore.”

Gaining comfort in his embrace and words, Lynus smiled as he pressed his face against Axel’s shoulder, his hands slipping up to grasp the back of Axel’s shirt, returning the embrace. “Thanks, Axel.”

Honestly, what would he do without him?

… … … … …

When starting life afresh, it was important to buy something new as a symbol. Something to look at and realise just how different things were. For Lynus, it was the new medical bag Axel insisted that he get. His old bag, along with everything else that no longer served any purpose to him, was thrown out.

His new bag was made of leather, made from items in the Labyrinth, crafted by the hands of Thompson and Abigail from Sitoth Trading. He bought it yesterday, after burning those two journals in the fire place. The bag wasn’t cheap, but it was incredibly well made and worth it for his peace of mind.

It was spacious, more than enough room for his belongings and medical items. A much better bag than his old one.

Lynus was still sorting through his bag, making sure he had enough medicas, bandages and anti-bacterial wipes. As Dr Stiles said to him, it was vitally important to keep your items well stocked and in best condition. There was nothing worst then going to help someone only to realise that you have nothing to heal them with.

“Mr Lynus!”

Looking up from his back, Lynus was slightly surprised to see Abigail standing on the threshold of his room, smiling in her usual cheerful manner, lugging around a couple a large, leather bound books. “Oh, Abigail?”

Abigail staggered into the room, finding it difficult to carry the books. “Here are those books you wanted.”

“Brilliant!” Lynus said as he immediately pushed aside his bag and stood up.

When he went to buy his bag yesterday, he spoke with Thompson about possible items that could be made from ingredients (like flowers, herbs and stones) gathered from the Labyrinth. Thompson had made a wayward comment about having a couple of books lying around. If he should find them, he’d let them know.

He obviously must have found the ones he was thinking of.

“Thank you!” Lynus smile as he happily retrieved the books from the young girl, whom of which looked pleased to be rid of such a heavy load. “How much?”

“Papa said you can have them,” Abigail said with a smile. “They were just taking up room on the shelves, anyway. Papa is more interested in forging weapons and armour, after all. I like making accessories, though.”

“Tell your father I said thank you. And thank you to you as well, for lugging these heavy things all the way here,” Lynus said as he ran his hand over the thick leather book cover. “If I make anything, you can sell it in your shop and keep the money.”

“Papa will be happy to hear that,” Abigail said as she giggled. “I have to get back to the shop. See you later, Mr Lynus.”

“Take care,” Lynus said, giving the young woman a smile as she toddled out of the room.

Lynus watched until she left before turning his attention to the new books in his possession. They seem old, the pages slightly yellow and ragged. An unusual brown leather acted as the cover, with black words painted across the front.

The first book simply said Item Recipes. Simple and to the point. He was looking forward to reading it. It might help him, perhaps one day, make recipes of his own.

And the other book…

Oh! A book on gemstones.

Lynus dug around in his pocket, pulling out a bluish-green gemstone. Ever since the day Axel gave it to him, he’s been carrying it around in his pocket. One day he might make it into a necklace so he could wear it around his neck.

He wondered if this Amazonite was in this book somewhere.

Placing the book on top of the table, Lynus sat down and began to carefully look through it. At the top of each page was a name of a gemstone and a short description underneath a sketch of the stone. Whoever wrote this book did so meticulously and with great care.

It didn’t take him long to find the page titled with the word “Amazonite”.

“ _Pale azure blue amazonite is known as the lucky "Hope Stone". It will be lucky for all your hopes and dreams. Amazonite is blue-green to pale green stone in the feldspar group. It helps balance the emotions and gives physical stamina_.”

Lynus curled his fingers around the gemstone. Hope Stone, huh? How…accurate. And what a profound coincidence that Axel, the only thing that gave him hope during those eight years, was the one to give him the Stone of Hope.

How remarkable.

Clutching the crystal to his chest, Lynus noticed that the description went on to say more.

“ _Amazonite is known for maintaining good health in general. It aids in cell regeneration and healing after illnesses, trauma or injury, and relieves muscle spasms. It may be used in treating disorders of the nervous system and blockages in the flow of neural impulses, as well as issues with the throat and thyroid gland_.”

Hmm, what a useful stone! It was so interesting to read about different types of healing. There was more to healing than using spells and medicines.

Lynus was still leafing through the book a couple hours later, having moved into the tea room to sit in front of the warm fireplace. It was overcast that day, the wind a little chilly. He sat on one end of the couch, his legs tucked up and the book on his lap.

There were a lot of stones that could be useful aides to his healing abilities.

“There you are.”

Lifting his eyes from his book, Lynus smiled as he looked over his shoulder, watching as Axel walk into the room. He wasn’t wearing his armour, and his weapon was not holstered on his back. He must have gone to their room first, expecting to find Lynus there.

Axel leaned over the back of the couch. “What are you reading?”

“It’s a book on gemstones,” Lynus answered, motioning to the book on his lap and Amazonite crystal that he was still holding. “I was just reading up on the Amazonite you gave me. It’s a healing stone.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Axel said as he playfully rolled his eyes and rested his elbow casually on the couch.

Lynus lightly swatted at Axel’s arm. “Oh, shut up,” he said, smiling. “This is really interesting.”

Axel easily fended of Lynus’ smack and round the couch. Now that Lynus could see him more clearly, Axel seemed to be hiding something behind his back. But before he could question him out of curiosity, Axel pulled his arm around and presented him something.

“Here.”

“What’s this?” Lynus asked.

“It’s a notebook,” Axel explained. “So you could take whatever medical notes you want.”

Lynus smiled softly and warmly as he reached for the notebook. He immediately understood what Axel was referring to. He had a new reason to make medical notes, about people he cared for. Write down things he really wanted to, not because he had to.

“Thanks,” Lynus said. He placed the notebook on his lap, with the other book he was reading. “Hmm, another gift? You’re going to spoil me.”

Axel shrugged casually. “You deserve it.”

As Axel sat down on the couch next to him, his arm hanging over the back, Lynus shuffled closer to lean his head against Axel’s shoulder as he returned to his reading. In turn, Axel rested his head on top of Lynus’, closing his eyes. The room lapsed into a comfortable silence, broken only by the crackling fire and the occasionally turning of pages.

However, a few moments later, the peace was interrupted by a dull thud. They both turned toward the sound, immediately seeing Magnus standing at the entrance of the room, rubbing his face with his hand. Had he accidentally walked into the doorframe?

“Hm? Magnus?” Axel questioned his guild-mate. However, the blond-haired Alchemist didn’t respond. He had a faraway look on his face, looking at nothing in particular. “Oi!”

Startled, Magnus reeled his head back, his eyes becoming wide for a moment. He glanced around, looking dazed and somewhat confused. He soon realised that he was in the tea room and that Axel had been trying to get his attention. “O-oh, sorry.”

“Is something wrong?” Lynus questioned, a sense of concern bubbling in his chest.

Magnus fidgeted, playing with his scarf. “Ah, no…”

Axel and Lynus weren’t buying it. Axel rose a sceptical eyebrow and Lynus frowned, closing his book and putting it aside. He didn’t sound fine at all.

“…Sorry,” Magnus finally relented, his shoulder sagging in defeat. “I have a headache.”

“Another headache?” Lynus asked as he placed his feet onto the floor and stood up from the couch. He quickly made his way over to Magnus, reaching for his forehead with his hands. As he touched Magnus’ temples with his fingertips, he uttered a Refresh spell. “Do you get them a lot?”

Looking slightly better, the grimace on his face disappearing, Magnus reluctantly nodded. “…Yeah.”

Lynus, of course, fell effortlessly into care-taker mode. “Any idea what’s causing them? How long have you had them?”

“It’s probably because you’re not keeping yourself grounded,” a new voice answered.

Blinking, Lynus glanced around Magnus, fleetingly seeing the form of Shen’s fotm pass by. He wouldn’t be able to question the Ronin further, so turned his attention back to Magnus, whom of which was fidgeting around, looking embarrassed.  
   
“Grounded?” Lynus asked. “Is that kinda like meditating?”

“Yeah,” Magnus nodded his head, shuffling awkwardly on his feet. “I’m…not very good at that.”

All Lynus could do was nod his head. He didn’t really understand ‘grounding’ and ‘meditation’. But he was willing to learn.

That new notebook was going to come in handy.


	20. 20

Holstering his new bag upon his shoulder, Lynus tried to move about the room as silently as possible.

Axel was still sleeping. He and four of his guild-mates had spent quite a time in the Labyrinth, spending all day and half the night mapping out their latest floor of the Labyrinth, meticulously marking the areas of ‘moving tiles’ so they could avoid them if possible.

They returned in the early hours of the morning. It wasn’t anything too strenuous; Axel had told him when Lynus had awoken to the sound of Axel returning to their room. Just time-consuming as there were a lot of dead-ends and winding paths to contend with.

Still, he was tired, and since Lynus had to work at the hospital today, thought it was best to let him sleep in for a while. He made sure to leave a quick note, though, explaining his absence. It was something they did for each other because neither of them want to experience that pain of unexplained separation again.

Stepping outside their room, Lynus closed the door behind him with a soft click, knowing that the noise wouldn’t be enough to wake Axel up. When he was really, really tired, he could sleep through anything.

“Lynus.”

Lynus barely managed to conceal a squeak of surprise when Shen suddenly appeared before him, his arms folded over his chest in his usual manner. “Oh, Shen,” Lynus breathed, clutching his bag strap as he tried to still his nerves. “Is something wrong?”

“Magnus isn’t feeling well,” Shen answered simply, as was his way.

“Not his headaches again?” Lynus asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

Again Shen’s answer was simple. “Appears so.” He would know, as he was Magnus’ roommate, after all.

“I’ll go check on him,” Lynus said, knowing immediately what was needed to offer some relief. “Thanks, Shen.”

With a nod, Shen walked away silently and Lynus made his own way to the room Magnus and Shen had been sharing. It was at the end of the hallway, away from the well-established ‘traffic’ paths of the Inn. No one was constantly walking past, no loud talking. It was quiet.

“Magnus?” Lynus said as he knocked gently on the door. After receiving no answer, he tested the handle and found it was unlocked. He slowly pushed it open, finding the room quite dark, the curtains pulled across the windows. He could barely make out the lithe form lying on a single bed, curled up on his side, facing the wall.

Silently, Lynus made his way over to the bed and softly placed his hand on Magnus’ shoulder. The blond-haired Alchemist was immediately startled awake, tensing under Lynus’ touch.

“It’s me,” Lynus said, keeping his voice soft so not to cause him any further pain and sat on the edge of his bed. Magnus seemed to immediately recognise his voice as he began to settle back down. “Sorry for startling you. How are you feeling?”

“J-just my headaches again,” Magnus replied as he rolled over onto his back. This time he wasn’t even trying to hide his discomfort. Even in the dimly lit room, Lynus could see the pain in his eyes.

Lynus removed his hand from Magnus’ shoulder to touch his forehead. His pressed his palm against the slightly warm skin. “Here, this should help,” he said, his words quickly followed by a Refresh spell. “Do you feel any better?”

The tension in Magnus’ body seemed to lessen considerably, the tension lines fading from around his eyes. “Yeah.”

Magnus then made the motion to sit up, but Lynus once again placed his hand on his shoulder to prevent him from moving. “Don’t push yourself,” he said. “I can see you’re tired. Why don’t you get some rest? I’m sure you’ve earned it.”

Magnus didn’t really have the strength to argue. “Ok,” he said as he laid back down, closing his eyes in an attempt to fall back to sleep. Most people don’t realise how debilitating headaches and migraines could actually be. They often times prevent a person from eating, drinking and sleeping.

Lynus gave Magnus’ shoulder a comforting squeeze before he stood up and made his way out of the room, once again moving silently as he could. He had better mention to Matron on his way out not to disturb him, allowing him to get a few solid hours of restful sleep.

“Well?”

Once again, Lynus barely managed to muffle a high-pitched sound of surprise. He shivered and spun around, coming face to face with Shen once more. “Shen? You startled me.”

Shen’s usually detached expression didn’t change, he merely raised an eyebrow. “How is he?”

“Magnus will be all right,” Lynus answered. “Still, I told him to get some rest.”

Shen nodded his head sharply, seemingly pleased. “Very well then.”

Lynus was about to ask him something, maybe get a bit more information about Magnus’ headaches, but the Ronin had already wandered off, his stride powerful and purposeful. He had completed his task, no need to linger around. Lynus watched him for a moment before deciding that he best get to work at the hospital. He didn’t find his behaviour strange. Shen simply did what he wanted, moving at his own pace. He didn’t answer to anyone.

That was simply how he was.

Lynus shrugged to himself. Maybe he could try speaking with him later.

Checking the time, Lynus realised that he had better get going. He didn’t want to be late for work. He made his way hurriedly through the Inn, pausing for a moment by the front desk to inform Matron of Magnus’ need for rest. He then jogged through the streets, heading for the hospital.

Once there, he was set straight to work. And his first patient was unsurprisingly familiar, his guild-mates both displeased and embarrassed.

“Oh no,” Lynus sighed as he regarded the blue-haired Landsknecht sitting on the hospital bed with that look of obliviousness on his face as he carried his arm in a sling. “Not you again, Simmons.”

… … … … …

After dealing with Guild Cosmos, his day had been rather uneventful. A few explorers and solders in need of treatment. No Code Blues, thankfully. It gave Lynus the chance to do more research in the back room in-between treating patients. Knowledge was power, after all.

He had spent most of the day thinking about those troublesome headaches of Magnus’. Using Refresh only offered momentary relief, which wasn’t good enough in Lynus’ opinion. Perhaps what Shen had said the other day, about Magnus not ‘grounding’ himself was the answer?

But what did one need to do to ‘ground’ themselves? He was only vaguely familiar with such terms personally. He managed to find a quick explanation in one of his medical books, though. Grounding was all about the awareness that one was still in a physical body while endeavouring to become spiritual workers and beings.

He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, to be completely honest.

But since Alchemists were close to nature, able to wield elemental forces, maybe an accessory or something made from items found in the Labyrinth would do the trick. Hmm…what about a gemstone?

Wouldn’t hurt to try, right? Healing came in many forms after all. While reading through his new book on gemstones yesterday he had seen a couple of stones said to help in ‘earthing’. Same thing as ‘grounding’, right?

With that in mind, Lynus finished up his day at the hospital and made his way back to the inn. Axel should be awake by now. And hopefully Magnus was feeling better after getting some decent sleep.

As he stepped into the lobby, the first person Lynus happened across was Shen. The Ronin seemed to be lingering around the Inn, probably keeping an eye on Magnus, ensuring that the Alchemist got the rest he needed.

“Um, Shen?”

Shen regarded him with a look. Not a vicious or sharp look, but a curious one. “Hn?”

“Do you know if there are any Topaz stones in the Labyrinth?” Lynus asked him.

Shen blinked, a slight look of puzzlement in his eyes. “Not that I am aware of.”

Lynus sighed, a little disappointed. “I see.”

“Why?”

“Well, I’m really worried about the headaches Magnus is getting,” Lynus admitted, shuffling on his feet. “I can give him some relief with refresh, but it’s only a quick fix.”

“And the stones?” Shen questioned.

“I’ve been reading up on gemstones since Axel got me this Amazonite,” Lynus explained as he slipped his hand into the back pocket of his pants, pulling out the green stone that had kinda became his worry-bead. “I was hoping that I could find a stone for Magnus to hold to keep him grounded, like you said. And stop those headaches. They can be really deliberating for him.”

Shen took a moment to weigh up his words. After a moment of silence, he nodded his head sharply, seemingly agreeing and accepting his suggestion. “There are a few gemstones in the labyrinth,” he went on to say. “Perhaps one of them could be useful. If I find any, I’ll bring them to you.”

“Ok,” Lynus smiled as he replaced his gemstone back into his pocket, keeping it safe. “Thanks, Shen.”

Shen simply gave a half-nod before he turned on his heel and walked away. Where he was going was anyone’s guess. He was slightly hard to speak to. No, not hard. Shen was easy to speak to, just hard to have a conversation with.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, hey Axel,” Lynus immediately greeted as he turned around, smiling when he saw Axel dressed in only a pair of loose fitting pants tucked into a pair of ordinary boots and a sleeveless white shirt. He appeared to have only woken up not too long ago.

Good. At least he caught up on his sleep.

“I’m curious about what kind of items are in the Labyrinth,” Lynus explained, answering Axel’s question.

“Why don’t you ask Tobyn?” Axel suggested. “He’s in charge of the monster and item codex.”

“Do you think he’ll mind?” Lynus asked, not wanting to be a bother.

“He looks a bit standoffish, but he’s approachable,” Axel told him as he placed his hand on Lynus’ shoulder, squeezing in a reassuring manner.

“Ok,” Lynus nodded. “Wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

“He’s in the tea room,” Axel said as he removed his hand, taking a moment to stretch his tall, muscular form. “I’m gonna get something to eat.”

Lynus nodded and watched as Axel walked off, rolling his shoulder in order to ease out the kinks and tension. With the shirt he was currently wearing, it was easy to see the muscles in his back, shoulders and arms. The way they rippled under his tanned skin just showed the suppressed strength that he had at his disposal.

It also made Lynus realise how scrawny he was in comparison. No surprise, really. Axel was a Landsknecht. He needed to have muscles for physical strength.

Tearing his eyes away from Axel’s impressive form, Lynus headed in the direction of the tea room. It made sense that Tobyn would be in there. He was in the Labyrinth last night as well. He was probably taking this moment to update the maps and indexes.

And sure enough, he found the blond-haired Survivalist sitting on the couch beside the fireplace, papers and books strewn out in front of him on the coffee table. He wasn’t wearing his usual clothes he wore while exploring, his long blond hair pulled back roughly into a ponytail at the base of his neck.

“Ah, Tobyn?” Lynus said, gaining his attention. As he drew closer, he noticed that the book that Tobyn was currently looking at. “Oh! Is that a monster codex?”

“Yes,” Tobyn answered simply.

“Is it ok if I have a look?”

Tobyn blinked, before giving a one-shouldered shrug. “Sure.” He then lifted the book for Lynus to take.

“Thank you,” Lynus said as he sat down on the other end of the couch and received the book. He placed it on his lap, mildly surprised by how big and heavy the book appeared to be.

He carefully began to flick through the pages, and immediately Lynus was greatly impressed. On the top of each page were detailed sketches of a monster found in the labyrinth. There were side profiles, track markings, even a list of items that could potentially be found after defeating them. Not to mention possible weaknesses.

“Did you draw these?” Lynus asked as he trailed his finger over a drawing of a gargoyle type creature.

“Yeah,” Tobyn answered as he shuffled through the mass of papers before him.

“They’re good,” Lynus said in earnest as he carefully turned a page. “You’re really amazing.”

“It’s what Survivalists do,” Tobyn shrugged.

“It doesn’t make it any less incredible,” Lynus insisted, turning another page. He glanced from the corner of his eye, though, watching as Tobyn scratch the bridge of his nose, his cheeks slightly red.

Lynus couldn’t help but smile. Tobyn was either humble or embarrassed.

“So this is a Fangleaf?” Lynus then asked as he shuffled a little closer and pointed at a strange three-headed vine thing. “Axel’s mentioned these.”

And not a positive light either.

Tobyn leaned over to glance at the book. He nodded, making a noise of subtle irritation. “They’re really annoying,” he muttered.

“That’s what he said as well!” Lynus said as he gave a light laugh. “Do you have Vemonflies as well? He hates them, too.”

Tobyn reached forward to retake the book, seemingly willing to show him the page himself. But before he could take hold of the book, he paused and glanced over in the direction of the room’s entrance. Lynus followed his gaze, slightly startled. As a moment later Jhon appeared, he too wearing casual clothing that did little to hide his powerful physique.

“There you are,” Jhon said with a smile, his gaze on Tobyn. He turned to regard Lynus for a moment, smiling at him. “Evening Lynus.”

“Evening Jhon,” Lynus politely replied, finding it easy to speak with the blond-haired Protector. “Recovered from your jaunt in the Labyrinth last night?”

“For the most part,” Jhon answered.

“That’s good.”

“Have you eaten yet?” Jhon asked, directing his question to Tobyn mostly.

A question that Tobyn didn’t seem willing to answer. His silence, however, was more than enough.

Holding the book on his lap, Lynus remained silent as he busied himself by idly flipping pages. He remembered the first time he had met these two friends, and how they were arguing about who was hurt and who wasn’t. In the end it turned out that they both were. They just didn’t want the other to worry.

A look of displeasure flickered across Jhon’s usually friendly face. He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by the calling of his name by someone else in the Inn.

“Jhon? Oi! Jhon?!”

“Coming!” Jhon shouted his reply to whoever was literally shouting his name. Probably Macerio; he could be loud when he wanted. He then turned back to Tobyn and Lynus, giving Tobyn a slightly stern look. “You’re not skipping dinner again.”

He then turned on his heel and left, leaving no room for argument. Tobyn snorted, folding his arms over his chest in a rather defiant manner.

A slightly uncomfortable silence fell. So Lynus tried to break it the best he could.

“It’s nice that he cares,” he commented.

“He’s protective of me,” Tobyn muttered, his arms still folded tightly over his chest. “Although I don’t know why.”

“Have you been friends for long?”

“A few years,” Tobyn said as he sighed, unfolding his arms to rest loosely over his torso, lifting his feet to rest on the coffee table. “We’re not like you and Axel, though.”

Lynus unconsciously smiled at the mentioning of Axel’s name. “Do you have a theory why Jhon seems protective?”

Tobyn was silent.

“I’m sorry,” Lynus immediately apologised in a hasty manner, fearing that he overstepped his boundaries. “It’s none of my business.”

And what right did he have to ask when he was unwilling to speak of his own?

“…I guess it’s because of my mentor,” Tobyn surprisingly admitted, his voice low. “He was a Survivalist, obviously. Acclaimed to be the best of the best. But he was a loner. Preferred to do things his own way.”

“Did something happen to him?” Lynus asked gently.

Tobyn’s reply was terse and sharp, almost bitter. “Killed.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lynus said, his chest tightening at the simple word.

“Something stupid, really,” Tobyn went on to say. He sounded frustrated, yet there was a sense of distress in his voice. And his eyes, narrowed in a regretful manner. “Went into the Labyrinth alone. Ambushed by a monster he was tracking. His remains were found three days later.”

“I see,” Lynus said, unsure of what else to say, or what comfort he could give. “That’s why he fusses over you.”

At the thought of Jhon, Tobyn’s expression held a twinge of guilt. “The idiot shouldn’t,” he muttered.

“What do you mean?” Lynus asked, curious and puzzled.

“The last thing I want is someone getting killed because of something stupid I did,” Tobyn said. “If I get killed, then it’s my own fault. I’m not going to take anyone with me.”

Ah, that made some sense. And Lynus understood that feeling immensely. It was that fear that he would prove to be more of a hindrance, than a help, that prevented him from journeying into the labyrinth. Axel mentioned it in passing a couple of times, but Lynus still felt that he wasn’t ready. After just being reunited with Axel, the last thing he wanted was him to die in front of him because of something stupid he did.

But…he also understood why Jhon seemed to be Tobyn’s personal Protector.

“…Sometimes, the thought of protecting someone is all that they have,” Lynus whispered, smiling softly. “It’s their only meaning.”

Startled, Tobyn turned to look at him. He didn’t say anything, but he had this questioning look in his eyes.

“Ah, sorry, I’m just blabbering. Ignore me,” Lynus immediately insisted, giving Tobyn a flustered smile and tried to change the subject. “Oh, do you happen to have the Item Codex with you? I’d like to see that as well.”

“…Sure.”

“Thanks.”


	21. 21

Lynus was leaning against the front counter in the lobby, having agreed to watch over the always popular Inn for a short time while Matron busied herself in the kitchen, preparing a mighty feast for all her explorers. He had a book with him, which was keeping him entertained in-between answering inquires and pointing out the spare rooms to exhausted explorers.

He was calmly flipping through a book on making herbal medicine when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. He was then pulled back against a taut chest that was free of armour. He wasn’t alarmed, though. He knew the owner of these arms and simply smiled, feeling quite comfortable.

“Morning,” Lynus said as he lifted a hand to run through red hair, tilting his head slightly to allow Axel to rest his chin on his shoulder.

“Morning,” Axel managed around a yawn.

“Another tough night in the Labyrinth?”

“Those damn ‘moving floors’ are getting annoying,” Axel mumbled, the irritation palpable in his voice. He must have been talking about those strange barbed black things that littered the floor, making it painful to step foot on.

Lynus hadn’t personally seen them, but he had heard plenty about them.

“Oh, yeah, Shen wanted to give you some stones,” Axel suddenly mentioned, slowly becoming more awake. “I left the bag in our room.”

“Stones?” Lynus questioned before realisation hit him. “Oh! You mean stones from mining spots?”

Axel nodded against his shoulder, yawning once again. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Ah, good,” Lynus smiled, slightly surprised as he wasn’t expecting to have a piles of potential gemstones to go through so quickly. “I’ll look at them later.”

Lynus then went back to his book, Axel still hanging over him as he decided what he was going to have to eat. The two were completely oblivious to the pair of pink-haired young ladies that were watching from a distance.

Peering from around a corner, Binah couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of Axel complaining about something into Lynus’ ear, while Lynus would nod his head at the right times, occasionally giving the redhead a sympathetic pat on the head. She found it both sweet and adorable. What made it even better was the fact that Lynus was smiling.

Now, she had seen Lynus smile a lot during the couple of years she had known him. But his smiles before were forced, pushing aside his own fears in order to offer anyone some reassurance. A sad upturning of the lips, his eyes distant and hesitant.

Lynus tried to be strong for everyone, and Binah did find some comfort in his gentle reassurance. But it also made her sad.

However, since coming to Lagaard, she had noticed a change in his smiles. They were becoming more real and natural. Shy smiles, flustered smiles and amused smiles. And they were reaching his eyes.

It was really good to see!

“What do you think?” Binah asked, turning to her partner-in-crime…er, friend.

Becky was standing next to her, she too, peering around at the pair at the front desk. “I think they’re cute,” she answered with a small smile.

“Right!” Binah beamed. “Lynus looks so happy with Axel. They should totally be together.”

Becky titled her head to the side. “A couple?”

Binah continued to grin. “Sure!” It only made sense, right?

“Hm…” Becky hummed in thought, lowering her gaze to the floor, a finger pressed against her lips.

“We should get them together,” Binah advocated, shifting excitedly on her feet.

“Kay,” Becky agreed, smiling as she clapped her hands in front of her. “Sounds fun.”

“I know!” Binah giggled as she pushed away from the wall she was leaning against in order to peer at Lynus and Axel. “But how?”

“How about we make a request?” Becky suggested. She had grown up around explorers. She knew how they worked.

“Yeah!” Binah cheered, grabbing Becky by the hand in order to pull her along. “Let’s go directly to the Guardians!”

Becky gripped Binah’s hand as she toddled behind her. “They’ll probably want a reward, though,” she said.

Binah’s enthusiasm dimmed a little and pouted. “You’re right.”

“Let’s ask mama.”

Gusto returned, Binah promptly began to pull Becky in another direction, where her mother was working in the kitchen. Without reservation, Binah skipped into the kitchen where Matron was expertly watching over several boiling pots, stoking the fire oven and roasting several different types of meats. And she did so with a smile and a hum of a little known tune.

“Mama?” Becky said as she gained her mother’s attention by tugging on her apron.

“Yes, sweeties?” Matron asked as she glanced down, her smile never faltering.

“We want to make a request to the Guardians,” Becky explained. “But we’ll need a reward, won’t we?”

“A request?” Matron seemed intrigued. “What kind of request are you making?”

“Matchmakers!” Binah replied cheerfully, throwing her hands into the air in an animated manner.

“Hoho! For Lynus and Axel?”

“Yes!” Both girls chided at the same time, happy that they weren’t the only ones.

“I see,” Matron continued to chortle. She then leaned forward and gave the two girls a wink. “Leave the reward to me.”

“Ok,” Becky smiled, moving forward to give her mother a quick hug. “Thanks, mama.”

Binah waited until Becky stepped away from her mother before reaching forward and taking her hand again. “Let’s go,” she said as she tugged her along.

“Kay.”

“Kids these days,” Matron was heard saying, he amusement still very potent. “So nice to see.”

… … … … …

Macerio stared at the two pink-haired girls before him with a look of blatant disbelief. “Um, let me get this straight; you want us to play matchmaker?” he asked.

Binah, the bubbly Troubadour nodded, as she bounced excitedly on her feet. “That’s right.”

“For Axel and Lynus?”

“Spot on!”

Macerio blinked, letting the words finally sink in. “…Why?”

“What do you mean why?” Binah retorted tersely, puffing out her cheeks.  
   
“P-please?” Becky pleaded, clasping her hands in front of her. “You’ll be rewarded.”

“What kind of a reward?” Macerio asked, with a slight sense of trepidation as what such request would offer. He glanced over at his other guild-mates, Jhon, Tobyn and Chi-hung, but they all turned away, pretending to be busy doing something else and weren’t inauspiciously listening in.

“Mama is thinking of something,” Becky explained with a resolute nod.

Macerio felt himself go pale. “Wait…even your mother is involved?”

“Come on!” Binah urged with a slight whine, grabbing Macerio by the arm and pulling at him. “Please!”

“You’ll…” Macerio began to say, but trailed off. He didn’t know what to say. Asking that a guild of experienced explorers to play matchmakers was a little far-fetched, right?

Come on! They spend their time trekking through a monster filled Labyrinth. What would they know about matchmaking?!

But there was no way they could say no. Not to the daughter of the Inn-keeper, especially.

“You’ll have to ask Hamza!” he said, spluttering slightly and truly desperate, pointing at the dark-haired War Magus that was sitting silently in the corner the entire time, reading a newspaper.

Immediately, Binah spun around and bounded toward Hamza, the guild’s leader. “Hamza! We-”

“Yes, yes, I heard,” Hamza chuckled as he lowered his paper, granting the two young ladies before him with a charming smile.

“Please?” Binah said as she clapped her hands together in a pleading manner.

“Matchmakers, huh?” Hamza chuckled as he folded the paper and placed it on top of the table. “This guild?”

He grew silent for a moment, as if seriously contemplating fulfilling the request. He gave another telling chuckle as he stood up from his seat. “…Sure, why not?”

“Yay!” The two girls automatically cheered.

“What?!” Macerio spluttered. “Y-you can’t be serious?”

Macerio was gobsmacked. He spun around to face his guild-mates again, noting that they, too, were wearing expressions of shock and bewilderment. It reinforced the fact that Macerio hadn’t misinterpreted anything.

“A guild cannot deny those in need,” Hamza said as he wagged a finger at his guild, looking far too amused. He then unexpectedly picked up his sword that had been resting next to his chair and holstered it.

“Where are you going?” Macerio asked, still in a state of shock as Hamza strode toward the exit.

“Me? I’ve got a couple of rookies to train,” Hamza said simply.

“Y-you…you take an impossible quest for us and then leave?” Macerio was completely flabbergasted. “You bastard!”

“Now now, mind your language,” Hamza chastised, although he still had that annoying little amused grin on his lips. Even his eyes held a light twinkle to them. “There are young ladies present. Have fun now.”

“Argh, I hate you!” Macerio yelled, dragging his hands over his face. He then allowed his shoulders to sag in resignation when he felt a pair of small hands grab at him, tugging him along. “Why?!”

“Come on,” Binah giggled, which sounded a touch sadistic in Macerio’s opinion. “Let’s get started!”

Once more Macerio glanced over at his companions, looking for help. But all he got were looks of bewilderment and sympathy.

Jhon leaned toward Tobyn. “Are we really going to do this?” he asked.

Tobyn folded an arm across his chest and pinched the bridge of his nose. “…Seems so.”

… … … … …

Stepping out of his room, Lynus was slightly startled to see Macerio standing by himself in the middle of the hall, looking agitated and incredibly uncomfortable. The expression of befuddlement on his face didn’t change, even as their eyes met.

“Ah, Lynus?” he said, sounding rather…awkward.

Lynus frowned, concern bubbling in his chest. “Something wrong?” he asked.

Macerio lifted an arm and scratched the back of his head in a skittish manner. “Ah, no…Er…”

“What is it?”

Macerio unexpectedly sighed, dropping his arm, his whole body posture drooping in a rather defeated manner. “Listen, don’t ask any questions,” he said, pointing at the end of the hall behind Lynus. “Could you please get something out of the linin cupboard over there?”

Lynus eyed him off suspiciously. He glanced in the direction Macerio was pointing in, noting that there was indeed a closet, the door open and the shelves clean and tidy. “…The walk-in one?” he asked,

Now, why couldn’t he just do it himself? What was going on?

“Yeah.”

“…What am I retrieving, exactly?”

“A pillow or something? Could you just do it?”

“…Alright.”

Macerio looked intensely relieved. “Thanks,” he muttered.

So many questions were running through Lynus’ mind. But he decided to simply bite his tongue and just go with it for now. Whatever was going on, he sure it wasn’t vindictive or cruel.

He granted Macerio one last questioning look before he turned on his heel and headed toward the cupboard. During the short walk he noticed Axel moving up from another hallway. Then, Binah and Becky unexpectedly appeared, ploughing into the back of Axel. Axel’s eyes widen in surprise and he immediately paused in his steps. He blinked before turning his head to look behind him.

“Ok, you two,” Axel said as he glanced over his shoulder, looking at the two girls through one eye. “Why are you trying to push me?”

“Move!” Binah commanded as he feet slipping on the floor as she tried to push against Axel with all her might.

But Axel, being much stronger and taller than the two girls combined, didn’t budge an inch. “What if I don’t want to?”

“You have to!” Binah said as she head-butted Axel’s spine with her forehead. “Just move!”

Becky moved around to tug at his arm, peering up at him with pleading eyes. “Please?”

“Fine, fine,” Axel relented as he began to take slow steps, making it appear as if the girls were the ones that were making him move.

Lynus chuckled to himself at the sight. It was adorable to see. He wondered what Binah and Becky were up to as he reached the closet, ready to complete his own baffling task. But as he stepped inside, he noticed that there were no pillows. A few towels, bed sheets and pillowcases; but no pillows.

“Where are you pushing me?” Axel was heard asking.

“Just a bit further,” Binah replied.

“Are you trying to push me into a closet?”

“Shut up and move!”

Lynus blinked when he realised how close the voices were. He spun around and quickly found himself face to face with Axel, his red-haired friend looking as surprised to see him as he was.

“Axel?” Lynus questioned, blinking when he noticed that Binah had stopped pushing him, and was instead pulling Becky by the arm, leading her away. “Binah, what are you-?”

Lynus was unable to finish his question as the Guardian’s Beast, Chi-hung, suddenly appeared, running toward them. Then, with a short leap, he head-butted Axel in his back, propelling Axel forward. Neither of them had the chance to utter a sound as Axel fell against Lynus and they tumble back into the closet.

Lynus’ back collided with the back of the closet, winding him for a moment. He found his breath a moment later, though, when Axel’s hands slammed against the wall on either side of his head, stopping himself crushing Lynus against his body and the wall.

Then, the door was slammed shut, plummeting them both into a dense, confusing darkness.

“Shit,” Axel muttered, his breath ghosting against Lynus’ cheek, indicating how close they were. “Are you ok?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Lynus replied, slightly dazed. “Just surprised.”

Axel’s hands slid down the wall, moving to grasp Lynus by his upper arms. In turn, Lynus’ hands rested against Axel’s chest, their bodies pressing together in the tight space of the linin cupboard.

After taking a moment to gather their bearings, Axel turned to look over his head to the closed door. “Hey!” he yelled to anyone who was still lingering around just on the other side. “What are you trying to pull?”

“Door’s locked!” Binah replied in a sing-song tone.

Axel snorted. “I could break it down, you know?”

“Mama won’t like that,” Becky chided in her usually timid and soft voice.

Axel paused. “…Dammit,” he muttered under his breath. “That woman scares me more than any FOE in the Labyrinth…”

Lynus smiled at Axel’s words before he shook his head. “Why would they…?”

“Who knows?” Axel commented, sighing as he shifted slightly so that Lynus’ feet were in-between his. “I wonder when they’ll let us out.”

“We’ll have to wait and see, I guess,” Lynus replied, wiggling slightly to get more comfortable.

After a bit of silent squirming, they finally became settled. Axel’s arms were wrapped around his slender frame, keeping his back from the wall. Lynus, in turn, had his hands on Axel’s chest, his fingertips brushing along his collarbone.

Their positions weren’t completely uncomfortable. It was just…slightly awkward. His awareness toward Axel was suddenly heightened. He could sense everything about him. He could feel the muscles of his chest under his hands, feel the steady beat of his heart. He had this particular scent as well; earthy, yet like grass after a spring shower.

Here, being pressed against his chest, Lynus felt…safe. He was much smaller than Axel in body size, but he didn’t feel small at all. He felt important. Like he was wanted, needed, and not just because of his healing abilities.

It was because of something else.

Slowly, he eyes trailed up to look into Axel’s own gaze. In the subtle darkness of the closet, his blue eyes seemed more intense than usual. And his face was so close to his, causing a funny fluttering feeling to appear in his chest.

It would be easy to close the gap between them…

Suddenly, the small closet was full of light. The door had been flung open and standing in the threshold was the Guardians’ Protector, Jhon.

“Sorry!” Jhon panted as he held the door with one hand, the other held out in front of him in an apologetic manner, looking incredibly flustered. “But we’ve received a critically important request. Apparently, monsters have been spotted by the guards to be heading toward the entrance. We need to stop them. Before they reach the stairs.”

With his arms still around Lynus, Axel practically swept him off his feet as he helped him out of the closet before he darted off, no doubt searching for his weapons and armour. He didn’t ask any questions. He knew such an urgent request was important. He could be filled in along the way.

A moment later, he reappeared with everything he needed. He nodded in Jhon’s direction. Then, without a word, they raced down the stairs where the rest of his guild-mates were waiting.

Leaning over the railing, Lynus called down at them. “Be careful!”

“Won’t be long!” Axel answered back before he darted out the door, Jhon, Tobyn, Shen and Magnus right behind him.

Lynus continued to stand there for a moment longer, gripping the wooden railing tightly, that familiar feeling of hopelessness etched its way back into his chest. He didn’t like it. Being left behind. Being useless.

He…wanted to be useful. But how?


	22. 22

Another somewhat anxious night.

Hunting those monsters that were threatening to enter town took longer than expected. Sitting at the Inn, waiting for Axel and the others to return played havoc on his nerves. He tried to busy himself by doing a few errands or trying to speak with an uncharacteristic annoyed Binah in order to find out what she was trying to do. But that kinda fell flat as all she would say was; “Stupid monsters.”

And Macerio wasn’t much better. “I knew it wouldn’t work,” he muttered.

Perplexed and worried, Lynus had managed a few hours’ sleep, but it was restless at best.

He was intensely relieved to hear Axel staggering into their room in the middle of the night. He managed to make out Axel’s form in the darkness, watching as Axel shrugged off his armour and fell face first into bed. Axel muttered a quick; “I’m fine” before falling asleep.

Still, when morning broke a few hours later, Lynus slipped out of bed and carefully inspected Axel’s sleeping form. There were no obvious injuries, so once again, he left him be, sneaking out of the room in order not to wake him.

Lynus was currently sitting in the dining room, at a table at the back corner. He didn’t have to go to the hospital today. Unless something happened, he had the day to himself mostly. He just had to find something to do. Maybe he could finally research those stones Shen had gathered for him. He was too nervous to do so thoroughly yesterday.

Glancing up from his toast, Lynus caught sight of Macerio wandering into the room. He wasn’t wearing his hat, so his hair was slightly messy, giving the indication that he had just rolled out of bed himself. Out of habit, Lynus watched from a distance, ensuring that the way he moved showed no signs of any hidden illness.

Soon, a frown of disapproval tugged at Lynus’ lips when Macerio moved toward the breakfast buffet.

“Macerio.”

The named Gunner froze, immediately turning to look at him with an expression as if he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie-jar. “…Yeah?”

“Chocolate cake isn’t breakfast.”

“I already had breakfast,” Macerio stated in a small sense of defiance.

“Don’t try to pull that on me,” Lynus reprimanded, giving Macerio a critical quirk of his eyebrow. “I’ve been here all morning and this is the first time I’ve seen you.”

Macerio began to sweat. “Well, I…I snuck in behind your back.”

Lynus rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “Not with those steel-cap boots,” he said. He then sighed and gave Macerio a softly pleading, but motherly stern expression. “Look, have some toast and eggs, or something, before having some cake. You don’t want to experience a stomach ache.”

“Yes, mum,” Macerio said, almost like a defiant juvenile, before sauntering off to do as he was told.

Lynus didn’t know whether Macerio said that unintentionally, or was simply being sarcastic, so he let it slide. Well, if he had to be the Guardian’s ‘mother’, then so be it. Someone needed to look after these busy explorers.

A smile soon returned to his lips when the familiar sight of Lirit happily walked into the room. His lute wasn’t with him, surprisingly. He made his way over to the buffet, stepping beside Macerio. Who of which must have immediately complained about Lynus’ mothering as a second later Lirit turned his head to look in Lynus’ direction. He smiled brightly in greeting before he grabbed a plate of food of his own.

But as Lirit was making his way to join Lynus as his table, Macerio cursed, abruptly shoved a piece of bread into his mouth and darted out of the room.

Lynus blinked at his sudden departure, and so did Lirit. However, he soon shrugged and smiled as he slipped into a chair next to Lynus.

“He must have forgotten something,” Lirit said casually.

Lynus nodded his head slowly. He was curious, but at least he had something a tad more healthier than chocolate cake to eat.

“So,” Lynus said as he lifted his tea, taking a small sip as he gave Lirit his full attention. “What are you going to be doing today?”

“Oh, just going to spend a few hours at the bar,” Lirit answered somewhat dismissively. He seemed unwilling to confess that he had travelled into the Labyrinth. Perhaps it was because he knew Lynus would worry about him. Or maybe he didn’t want to add any more stress.

Either way, Lynus didn’t want him to feel that he had to hide. Because, if he was hiding the fact that he was out exploring, he might feel as if he had no choice but to hide any possible injuries that he might sustain out of shame. Lynus understood his curiosity. And out of the four of them, Lirit was the most accepting of their surroundings. He hadn’t suffered years of torment like Lynus, Binah and Rahas had.

“It’s ok,” Lynus said as he set down his tea cup. “I know you’re going into the Labyrinth. You don’t have to hide that from me.”

Lirit appeared flustered and somewhat ashamed. “I’m not hiding it…” he murmured softly, his shoulders tensing.

“I said it was ok,” Lynus said with a knowing smile as he lifted his hand and idly smoothed his hair. “You’re with Macerio and Hamza, right? And I assume you want to keep an eye on Rahas for me?”

A look of relief immediately appeared on Lirit’s face, catching on that Lynus wasn’t mad at him. “I’ve only been to the second floor,” he admitted. “Hamza won’t let us go any further. Not yet.”

“I can’t lie and say I’m not worried,” Lynus went on to say as he removed his hand from patting down Lirit’s hair. “But at least you’re not off on your own. And I have no right to stop you.”

“It’s really beautiful,” Lirit commented as he picked at his food, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “I think you’ll like it.”

Lynus hummed in thought. He couldn’t lie about not being curious himself, either. But he thought back to his conversation with Tobyn, remembering the tale about his master, and his fear of being a hindrance returned.

“Lirit!”

Startled, Lirit nearly fell off his seat when Macerio abruptly reappeared, looking skittish. He suddenly grabbed Lirit by the arm and hauling him to his feet.

“Let’s go before Binah finds me,” Macerio said as he glanced around in a frantic and somewhat desperate manner.

“Why are you-?”

“I’ll explain later,” Macerio said as he began to manhandle Lirit to get mobile. “Move, move!”

“B-bye, Lynus!” Lirit managed to splutter before he was whisked away.

“Take care, you two!” Lynus yelled back, but felt that his words didn’t reach them as Macerio had probably already ushered Lirit outside, well out of hearing range.  
   
Bemused, Lynus reached for his tea once more, taking a slow sip. As he swallowed down the warm liquid, Binah skipped into the room with her ever loyal companion, Becky, right behind her. Binah paused for a moment to glance around at the room’s occupants. A bright smile appeared on her lips as her eyes fell upon Lynus.

“Lynus~!” she greeted as she bounded happily over to him.

“Ah, Binah and Becky,” Lynus smiled at the two, setting his tea down. “Good morning you two.”

“Morning,” Becky said in return, a small smile on her lips and a healthy glow to her cheeks.

Binah tugged at Lynus’ sleeve. “Where’s Macerio?”

“You just missed him,” Lynus answer, becoming more curious as to why Macerio made such a hasty retreat. And wondered if yesterday’s strange events had anything to do with it.

“Ooh…” Binah pouted, puffing out her cheeks and her hands curling into fists by her sides. “Jerk.”

“How’s Axel?” Becky asked, tilting her head to the side.

“He’s still sleeping.”

Binah abruptly stopped pouting and smiled brightly. “You should take some breakfast to Axel,” she suggested all too keenly.

Hmm, a good idea, actually.

“You’re right,” Lynus said with a smile and stood up. “He’ll be hungry when he wakes up.”

“Did he return late?” Becky asked as she followed him, seemingly willing to help.

“He did,” Lynus said as he placed a few chosen foods onto the plate, smiling at Becky’s helpfulness. “Well after midnight.”

With the plate on a tray, full of food Axel was sure to enjoy, Lynus bid the two girls a ‘see you later’ and the infallible suggestion to get some breakfast themselves, he left the dining room. He quickly made his way upstairs toward their room, keeping a wild-birth of any hungry explorer that practically drooled over the sight of some home-cooked food.

Balancing the tray against his hip, Lynus opened the door, being careful not to make too much noise. The room was still dark as he stepped inside, although there were beams of sunlight peeking through the curtains, falling across the bed and the body still sleeping there.

Lynus placed the tray of food onto the bedside table. The food could wait a little longer. It was obviously clear that Axel was tired. He was lying on his stomach, one arm hanging over the side, the bed sheets pooled at his knees. He had just enough energy to remove his armour before collapsing into bed. He fell into bed last night, staying in that very same position.

The Labyrinth was a very stressful and exhausting place.

Lynus took a moment to gaze upon Axel’s face, smiling softly. He looked so peaceful, childish even. His mouth slightly open, his breath even and steady. Lynus gently brushed his red hair from his forehead before reaching down to grab the bed sheets, intent to pull them up over Axel’s sleeping form.

As he lifted the sheets, Axel began to stir. Then he unexpectedly lashed out a hand, snaring Lynus’ by his wrist. Lynus didn’t even have time to utter a noise of surprise before Axel rolled over in bed, dragging him along. Lynus tumbled onto the bed and immediately found himself wrapped up in Axel’s arms, pinning him firmly against his chest.

“A-Axel?” Lynus squeaked, blushing lightly when Axel nuzzled his cheek against his hair.

“Tired,” Axel murmured. He then promptly fell back to sleep.

Lynus tilted his head back and looked up at Axel’s sleeping face. Being closer than he was before, he could see the slight darkness under Axel’s eyes and little, almost invisible scars of nicks and cuts along his jaw line. He gently lifted his hand and trailed over the marks. They were signs of a true explorer.

But to Lynus, it proved how dangerous the Labyrinth was. Any monsters that got close enough to leave a scar, was a monster far too close.

Knowing how tired Axel was, and how his arms don’t seem to be letting him go any time soon, Lynus opted not to try to disentangle himself from Axel’s grip. He didn’t want to wake him up. And, to be honest, being wrapped up in his arms like he was, was rather comfortable.

It wouldn’t hurt to him to have a small nap. After all, he didn’t get a restful sleep, either.

So, Lynus settled down and promptly fell asleep, mildly wondering if that faint, girlish giggle he could have sworn he heard was real, or just his imagination.

… … … … …

It was a few hours later when Lynus woke up. He was slightly startled to realise, after the sleep bleary eyes came into focus, that he was clutching at the thin material of Axel’s shirt with his hands. Axel’s own arms wrapped around him tightly, holding him close but not hurting him in anyway, against his chest.

Waking up in Axel’s arms wasn’t a bad way to stir from an impromptu nap. To be truthful, that was probably the best sleep he has had in a long time.

Axel was still sleeping, but Lynus reasoned that it was probably best to wake him up now. He wasn’t certain how long he had slept, but deduced that it was around midday. It would be a good idea to get some food into him.

Now for the hard part; disentangling himself from Axel’s arms and waking him up.

Wiggling, Lynus managed to free an arm and poked Axel on the nose with a finger. “Axel.”

Axel’s nose wrinkled, a crease appearing on his brow, but other than that, he didn’t stir. So Lynus patted the side of Axel’s face with his hand, his voice growing louder in calling his name.

“Axel, wake up.”

Axel made a soft snorting sound before his eyes snapped open and he lifted his head up. Dazed, Axel blinked a couple of times as he looked around.

“Ah, finally awake?” Lynus asked, a light blush heating his features.

Still slightly hazy from his sleep, Axel turned to look at him. “Lynus?”

“You rolled over in your sleep and dragged me along,” Lynus explained with a light chuckle, still wrapped up comfortably in Axel’s arms.

Coming to his senses, Axel removed his hold around Lynus and rolled over onto his back. “Meh, sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Lynus said as he sat up, running a hand through his hair. “You were tired. There’s some food on the table.”

Lolling his head to the side, Axel looked at the tray of food that was sitting near his bed. It was still alright for him to eat. With a grunt, Axel heaved himself into a sitting position, swinging his legs off the bed and placing his feet onto the floor.

“What time is it?” Axel asked as he stretched his arms over his head, cracking his back and shoulders.

“Not entirely sure,” Lynus replied as he scratched the back of his neck bashfully. “I kinda fell asleep as well.”

“Yeah?” Axel asked as he looked at Lynus through one eye, smiling in amusement as he stood up from the bed. “Ah, didn’t get much sleep last night?”

Lynus slipped off the bed as well. “I guess. I have the day off, so it was kinda nice to catch up on some sleep. Anyway, eat up; I’m sure you’re starving.”

Axel took a few moments to stretch a bit more. “Had anything planned?”

“No, not really,” Lynus answered truthfully before he recalled that he did have something in mind. “Oh! I was going to finally research those stones Shen found for me.”

“Why don’t you do that now?” Axel suggested as he pulled out a chair and sat down in front of the food Lynus had delivered some time ago.

Lynus nodded as he reached for the small leather bag that rested next to the thick reference book of gemstones. He grabbed the items and moved to sit himself onto his bed on the other side of the room.

While Axel was getting some food into him, and kneading out the tight knots in his shoulders from the impromptu jaunt into the labyrinth, Lynus focused his attention on his task. He didn’t need to see if Axel was eating right as Axel loved his food, so it wasn’t like he had to shove anything down his throat in order to get something into his stomach.

Placing the book in his lap, Lynus carefully inspected the stones one by one, noting the texture, colour and appearance. He then flipped through the thick leathered book, reading the small inscription under each new section. Through this method, he was able to identify the crystals.

The first stone he picked up was dark red in colour with a slightly glassy texture.

“ _The Garnet is known as the stone for a successful business. If your business is not as good as it should be, just put 3 or more garnets on your desk. It is believed that if a garnet is put under a pillow it will cure depression. Garnets can be used to make a person popular and have self-esteem when worn as jewellery. It helps protect one on trips. Garnets bring constancy to friendships. Garnets are also known for stimulating success in business_.”

Well, Magnus really didn’t need this kind of stone. Suddenly becoming overwhelmingly popular may scare him.

An interesting stone, nonetheless. But not practical for what Magnus would needed.

The next stone that Lynus picked up was quite beautiful. It was a mixture of three colours; purple, blue and green. It, too, felt slightly glassy and waxy.

He was quick to find it in the book as well.

_“Fluorite is said to absorb and neutralize negative vibrations. It makes one more receptive to the vibrations of other stones. Fluorite may be used with other stones. It helps to open the way for the power of other stones to be effective. It can be used as a meditation stone to help energize the body and raise the power of concentration. Healers use it to help with ulcers as well as the respiratory tract by stimulating cell regeneration in these areas. It fortifies bones, improves arthritic or other joint ailments. It can be laid directly on the body_.”

Oh, a healing stone! Perhaps Lynus could incorporate it into his healing practices in some way. While he usually dealt with cuts, stabs and open wounds from explorers, that didn’t mean that the hospital didn’t get the occasionally complaint from the locals about general aches and pains, stomach aches or muscle strains.

It also sounded as if it could be useful for Magnus to carry around. It seemed quite placid. Perfect for the gentle Alchemist.

But he had other stones to sort through, so maybe there was an even more suitable stone for him.

The next stone was a strange cluster of rocks, in the colours of light brown and light blue. It felt slightly heavy in the palm of his hand, yet it had an earthy essence to it.

After flipping through the book for a little while, he finally found the exact description of the stone.

“ _Aragonite is a grounding stone. It is often used to centre and ground physical energies and is very useful during stressful times. Aragonite stabilizes the base chakra, and strengthens your connection with the earth_.”

That was it! That was exactly what Magnus needed!

“Found it!”

“Found what?” Axel asked, surprised by his outburst.

“Oh, sorry,” Lynus said apologetically before he began to explain. “I’ve been searching for a stone for Magnus. Shen mentioned something about Magnus not keeping himself grounded, so I thought that if I could find him a gemstone to help in ‘grounding’ that it might help with his headaches.”

“So you found the perfect stone?” Axel asked as he finished off his breakfast. “You should go tell Shen, then.”

“Good idea,” Lynus said as he placed the book aside and kept a firm grip on the stone. He climbed off the bed and onto his feet. “What are you going to do for the rest of the day?”

“For starters, I better take this plate back downstairs,” Axel said as he pushed the chair back and stood up. “After that, I may just loiter around and see how the others are doing.”

“Ok,” Lynus smiled, silently relieved that Axel didn’t seem to have any more plans regarding the Labyrinth. “I’ll catch you later.”

Leaving the room, Lynus headed downstairs. It was probably well after midday now, so Shen was probably up and about doing...whatever he did. He had never really found Shen before, he would run into him. Or Shen would sneak on him, taking him by surprise. Was it intentional, who knows?

Sure enough, as he rounded a corner, Lynus found himself nearly colliding with the bare chest of Shen, the Ronin warrior unperturbed by his appearance.

“Shen!” Lynus squeaked in his usually startled manner before smiling brightly up at him. He took a step back and lifted the stone in order for Shen to see. “I’ve finally managed to inspect those stones you found for me. And I think I’ve found the perfect one for Magnus.”

Shen glanced down at the stone. He picked it up with so that he could study it with his sharp gaze. He looked slightly curious.

“It’s an earthy, grounding stone. Said to strengthen one’s connection with the earth,” Lynus explained. “Is that Magnus needs?”

Shen gave a sharp nod. “Yes, I believe so.”

“I hope he likes it,” Lynus said, turning to make his leave, figuring that since Shen had gone out of his way to gather the stones, that he should be the one to give it to Magnus.

But he was abruptly stopped by a hand grabbing him by his wrist in a firm grip. Surprised, Lynus turned around as Shen lifted his wrist and placed the gemstone back into the palm of his hand.

“You should present it to him,” Shen said as he released his grip on the stone and Lynus’ wrist.

Lynus blinked as the stone was placed back into his hand. “Don’t you want to? You’re the one who found it.”

“I have something I must do,” Shen said simply as he turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction, rather hastily.

Lynus tilted his head to the side in confusion. “…Ok?”

Sure, he had no problem in giving Magnus the stone. It would be a nice gift for him. But…Shen should really be the one to give it to him. It didn’t make much sense to him.

Pushing that aside for now, Lynus headed toward the tearoom. At this time during the day, it was usually pretty silent, and from what Lynus had learnt, Magnus liked to spend a lot of time in peace and quiet.

Stepping into the room, Lynus immediately spied the blond-haired Alchemist sitting by the open window, looking out, with his chin resting on his folded arms on the window sill.

“Magnus!”

Stiffening, Magnus lifted his head and turned to look as Lynus walked over to him. “Y-yes?”

Lynus smiled reassuringly at him as he slipped into a seat next to him. “Here,” he said as he held out the Aragonite stone for Magnus to see. “I want you to have this.”

A look of surprise immediately appeared on Magnus’ face. “What is it?” he asked as he carefully and timidly reached out to take the stone offered to him.

“It’s a crystal called Aragonite,” Lynus replied, gently placing the stone into the palm of Magnus’ hand, ensuring that he had a firm hold. “It’s a grounding stone. It should help keep you centred, which may be able help ease your headaches.”

Magnus drew in a sharp intake of air as he trailed a slightly trembling finger along the many ridges of the gemstone. “R-really?”

Lynus chuckled warmly as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his own stone. He cradled it in the palm of his hand and he showed it to Magnus to have a look at. “I have a stone of my own.”

Cupping his hand around his Aragonite, Magnus shuffled a little closer as he glanced at the green stone. “What’s the name of yours?” he asked, sounding truly interested.

“Amazonite,” Lynus smiled. “I am thinking of turning it into a necklace. Maybe you should as well.”

“Yeah,” Magnus nodded, turning his blue-eyes back to his own stone. He gazed at it, holding it gently in his two hands. His eyes then slipped closed as he pulled the crystal toward his chest. “It feels…strong. Earthy.”

“I was drawn to my stone as well,” Lynus admitted, happy to see that Magnus seemed to be so appreciative toward his gift. “You should keep it with you always.”

“Hmm,” Magnus hummed as he nodded his head slowly. He opened his eyes a moment later and granted Lynus a shy, but quite beautiful smile. “Thank you.”

“Axel gave this stone to me,” Lynus told Magnus, looking into his eyes. “And Shen was the one who found yours. It’s him who you should thank.”

“S-Shen?” Magnus immediately began stuttering, a light dusting of red dancing across his cheeks in a blush. He looked shy, embarrassed, also a little bit confused. “Why would he…?”

Lynus tilted his head to the side. “Why not?”

“N-nothing.”

“You should go talk to him,” Lynus suggested as he gave Magnus’ shoulder a little nudge with his own. “He cares in his own way.”

Magnus was silent as he weighed up the sincerity of Lynus’ words. Slowly, he nodded his head, the flush on his cheeks still quite potent. “…Ok,” he said as he rose to his feet, still cradling his gemstone close to him.

With a small nod, Magnus made his way out of the room, timidly intent in finding Shen and speaking with him.

Lynus watched until he was out of sight, smiling warmly to himself. Life was too short and unpredictable to keep one’s feelings or fondness for another a secret, after all.


	23. Chapter 23

“Lynus, come with me into the Labyrinth.”

Lynus snapped his head up from the book he had been reading, immediately giving Axel his full attention. The red-haired Landsknecht was leaning his elbow on the back of the couch he was sitting on, kitted up in his armour and his axe resting against his back.

“Huh?”

“We made a promise, right?” Axel said as he straightened his posture and moved from behind to stand in front of Lynus. “That we would go into the labyrinth together.”

His grip tightening unconsciously on his book, Lynus felt instantly nervous. True, they did make that promise. And in all honesty, he was curious. No matter how many times explorers come to the hospital to have their wounds treated, they would always go back. He wondered what it was that kept drawing them back. And he wanted to learn more for Axel’s sake, in order to understand him.

But…

“Are you…?”

“You don’t have anything to worry about. I’ll protect you,” Axel stated immediately, his tone firm and resolute, yet warm all the same. “Just the first floor. So you can see for yourself.”

Axel held out his hand toward Lynus, silently asking him once again to trust him, to believe his words.

How in the world could Lynus say no?

“…Ok,” Lynus said as he drew in a deep breath, his hand slipping easily into Axel’s outstretched hand and climbed to his feet. “I trust you.”

… … … … …

Being at the base of the almighty Yggdrasil tree, it really drove home the fact of how large and absolutely daunting the Labyrinth truly was. From where Lynus stood, the tree was endless. It disappeared into the thick white, swirling clouds. The trunk wasn’t completely solid; it was really quite open and ventilated. From a distance it looked like a solid structure, an impenetrable tree. But fissures and cracks were clearly seen, branches and leaves growing out from numerous points.

At the very base was a set of stairs, golden and overgrown with green plants. A well trotting path, it seemed, disappearing upwards.

Lynus nervously tightened and loosen his grip on his staff. His bag, on his shoulder, the strap over his chest, weighed heavily against his side. It was comforting, though.

He wasn’t some explorer or a warrior. While others in his position would be excited and restless, Lynus was understandably cautious. While he was curious, he couldn’t prevent himself from thinking back to his work at the hospital. He had seen many injuries, after all.

As if to prevent those thoughts from progressing further, Axel placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn’t offer any verbal reassurance; he simply smiled. And to Lynus, that was more than enough.

With Axel by his side, Lynus made his way over to the stairs and began to climb, taking one step at a time.

Reaching the top stairs, a bright light momentarily stunned Lynus. But as the glare fade, he immediately found himself slightly breathless. He had expected that inside the Labyrinth would be fascinating, but it was infinitely more enchanting and alluring than he had imagined. Vastly different to the woods surrounding the town of Lagaard, the greenery, the forest of trees and leafy plants, were so bright and luscious.

Thick grass padded his feet as he walked down a path that led to a large open area, sunlight streaming from the foliage of the trees.

“What do you think?” Axel asked him, pulling him from his awe-inspired daze. “This is the first stratum.”

“It's beautiful,” Lynus replied, openly showing his amazement. “It's surprisingly bright and fresh.”

“Don't wander off too far,” Axel said in a slightly chiding tone, but there was no alarm in his voice, so he was just being overly-protective. “The monsters on this level can be really irritating.”

Lynus nodded his head absentmindedly. “Ok,” he said as he positioned himself by Axel’s side again, still looking around in admiration. “I can see why explorers are drawn here.”

“I knew you would.”

“Axel.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Axel regarded the Jhon with a mildly questioning look. Jhon, Tobyn and Macerio were also a part of their party. The suggestion of having at least five party members while entering the Labyrinth was a highly regarded one. Even if just readjusting one’s map. The creatures that reside within these forests were unpredictable, so it was always best to be well prepared.

“Hm?”

“How about we head toward the Take Point?” Jhon suggested with a smile.

“Ah, the one behind the door?” Axel queried. He mulled it over in his head for a moment before nodding his head, accepting the suggestion as a good idea.

“Take Point?” Lynus questioned, his head tilted to the side in interest as he hadn’t heard that phrase before.

“A place where we can gather some items from,” Axel explained, giving a short chuckle when he noted the spark of interest in Lynus’ eyes. He lifted his hand and held it toward him. “Let’s go.”

Without a second thought, Lynus slipped his hand into Axel’s effortlessly, their fingers entwined together tightly. “Sure.”

Staying close to Axel’s side, Lynus was lead toward the north end of the open area. He was slightly puzzled by it as it seemed to be nothing more than a dead end.

“There’s a short cut,” Axel explained simply. Still holding Lynus’ hand, he pushed through the thick shrubbery, gently guiding Lynus to do the same. Clutching his staff close to his chest, Lynus ducked his head and followed, ignoring the way the supple branches and twigs tugged at his medical coat.

Once through, Lynus found himself standing in yet another open area, this one slightly larger than the one he just came from. The area was the shape of a square, a large set of doors at the west end and another on the east, close to where they were standing. He could see an eccentric designed inscribed in the stone structure, which seemed out of place, yet natural in its environment.

“Are there many shortcuts?” Lynus found himself asking as Jhon, Tobyn and Macerio also making their way through, Macerio keeping a firm hold on his hat.

“Not enough, in my opinion,” Tobyn was the one to answer, idly giving Macerio a hand in removing leaves and twigs from his thick clothes.

“I suppose we could make some more,” Jhon commented. “If we need to.”

“Or we could start climbing trees,” Macerio muttered.

Lynus was unable to stop a small laugh from escaping at the thought of someone like Macerio, or even Jhon or Axel, swinging from tree to tree. It would be too funny to see.

“This way,” Axel said as he tugged on Lynus’ hand again, leading him toward the doors closest to them.

With little effort, Axel opened the doors, the large stone structure making a low scraping noise as it did so. It opened easily, though, giving no indication on how old it could actually be.

Lynus was then led down a narrow pathway that led off in a few different directions. He stayed close to Axel, the others lingering close by in case they encounter any monsters or pests along the way. They didn’t, thankfully and surprisingly, and soon they were positioned in front of another set of large, stone doors.

The room inside was small, comfortably quaint. There was also a strange shimmer in the centre of the room. Axel led him over to it, so it wasn’t anything to fear. The ground beneath his feet looked and felt different. Was this the Take Point that Axel spoke of?

“I thought I heard something,” Jhon unexpectedly said as he lingered near the door. “You two stay here while we check it out.”

“Eh?” Axel uttered as he turned to look at Jhon, noting with a slightly puzzled look that Tobyn and Macerio was standing close to him. He decided not to ask any questions, though, and Lynus figured that they were just being cautious as not to startle him. “Ok, sure.”

“We won’t be long,” Tobyn said as a form of reassurance.

“We’ll leave you and Lynus alone for a while,” Macerio added, quite cheekily, with a broad grin and his arms folded behind his head.

A questioning eyebrow from Axel caused Jhon to wince, abruptly grabbing Macerio by the collar of his coat and dragging him away. “Let’s go, Macerio.”

Axel watched with a suspicious glint in his eyes before he shrugged, pushing his thoughts aside as the doors slid close. “It’s safe for us to sit here for a while,” he said, turning his attention back to Lynus.

“Ok.”

Still feeling slightly nervous, Lynus lowered himself onto the soft grass and sat down. He placed his bag next to him, keeping a loose but steady grip on his wand. He soon began to relax as Axel flopped down carelessly onto the ground next to him. Axel was sprawled out on his back, his arms folded behind his head in a comfortable and casual manner. His eyes closed as a light breezed played with the red tresses of his hair.

Lynus spent a moment simply gazing at his handsome friend before turning his attention back to the scene around him.

Spending time in the Labyrinth, in nature, would be good for him. Since arriving in Lagaard, he’s been running around town, looking after the others, working at the hospital and healing the sick and injured. He can’t really recall the last time he sat down to get lost in his own thoughts.

Perhaps Axel noticed it and hence why he suggested accompanying him.

Whatever the reason, Lynus was glad.

Sitting here in the natural tranquillity, it allowed his mind to wander. And being with in Axel’s sole presence made him feel relaxed. He knew, should a monster choose to attack, that Axel would be able to keep him safe.

“It’s very beautiful here, isn’t it?” Lynus said, his voice soft, not wanting to disturb the serenity of beauty around him.

“Still leaves me in awe sometimes,” Axel admitted as he opened his eyes and pulled himself into a sitting position. He was sitting closely to Lynus now, their shoulders brushing gently together.

“I’m glad that you’re here,” Lynus admitted easily, glancing at the thick brush, paying attention to the green leaves swaying in the soft breeze. As beautiful as it was, it was also slightly unnerving. It was so…big. The possibilities and mysterious seemingly endless.

“It would have been daunting for me if you weren’t,” Lynus finished.

Axel breathed a sigh he stealthily slipped up his arm around Lynus’ shoulder to lazily curl a strand of Lynus’ hair behind his ear. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

“I don’t know about that,” Lynus murmured as he tightened his hold on his weapon subconsciously.

“You’ve always been hard on yourself,” Axel commented as he poked Lynus playfully on his cheek before flopping back to lie on the grass once more.

“I guess so,” Lynus said as he rubbed his cheek idly. He turned slightly to his side and leaned on his hand so that he could look down at Axel, smiling softly. “Look at you, though. You've grown really strong. And handsome, huh?”

Axel peered up at him through one eye, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. He took the compliment in stride. No way was he conceited. He just grinned and accepted it. “Well, you're still very pretty,” he quipped back.

“What?” Lynus frowned, despite the sudden warmth gracing his cheeks. He twisted his body round so that he was facing Axel completely. He placed his hands, having unintentionally let go of his weapon, onto the grass to lean slightly over Axel. “No I'm not.”

Axel continued to grin up at him as he lifted a hand and gave Lynus’ cheek another poke. “It's a grown-up kind of pretty.”

“Are you teasing me?” Lynus asked, unable to stop himself from smiling as well.

“Of course not.”

“I think you are.”

“You could never take a compliment,” Axel chuckled, his expression warm and friendly. “Speaking of which, that flower suits you.”

“Flower?” Lynus blinked, his hand immediately flying up toward his ear, the one that Axel had so charmingly curled a stand of his hair. His fingertips brush against something soft and delicate. He soon realised that there was indeed a flower placed so lovingly behind his ear. “When did-?”

Before he had the chance to finish what he was trying to ask, Axel abruptly grasped onto his arms and pulled him down. Lynus fell on top of Axel, his hands pressed against his chest as Axel’s arms wrapped around him, one hand pressed against the small of his back and the one threading fingers through his hair.

“You really shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

Stunned and eyes wide, Lynus simply stared down at Axel, looking straight into his eyes, unable to say anything. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Axel’s. There was something in Axel’s gaze that drew him in and drowned the world out around them.

Warm, compassionate, understanding.

If Axel was willing to say such things to him, and mean them, helping him, protecting him. Then maybe Lynus was worthy of receiving compliments. That it was ok for him to receive gifts and to live his life.

Lynus’ eyes soften and a small smile graced his lips. “Ok,” he said simply.

Suddenly, Axel’s arms tightened around him and rolled them both over. Then, holding Lynus effortlessly with one arm, he jumped up to his feet, pulled himself into a defensive, crouched position and lifted his shield high above the two of them. Before Lynus had the chance to comprehend what was going on, there was a strange ‘clang!’ sound, like metal hitting metal.

Clutching at the front of Axel’s shirt, Lynus peered over the top of Axel’s shield, finally realising that Axel was using it to block an attack from an axe.

“Hah!” A familiar voice unexpectedly stated with a sense of triumphant. “I’ve got you now!”

A low growl of utter annoyance and anger rumbled from Axel’s throat. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, his voice low and husky, and sounding really quite dangerous.

Then Axel gritted his teeth, dug his heels into the ground, and with a powerful push of his arm, he threw Simmons backward a few feet, making the blue-haired Landsknecht kick up dust as his feet dragged against the ground.

Axel lowered Lynus gently to the ground so he could stand on his own feet. Lynus was had been taken completely aback by what had just occurred, honestly feeling a little shaky as the surprise attack by Simmons literally came out of nowhere.

“Ha!” Simmons said with a broad grin, bouncing on his feet as he flexed his weapon. “Strong as ever, but I-”

Simmons was interrupted unexpectedly by the sounds of gunshots. Or rather, gunfire. Bullets encased in flames whizzed around Simmons’ feet, startling him greatly. He discarded his attack-stance, opting to dance around in a desperate attempt to dodge the bullets being fired at him.

“You idiot!” Bursting out of the bushes, leaves stuck to his coat and hat, Macerio appeared, his gun cocked and loaded. “You stupid, useless, worthless pile of shit!”

“W-what did I do?!”

“Shut up! We were so close!”

“Eh? Macerio?” Axel blinked and Lynus was stunned. They glanced at each other, sharing a look of complete bewilderment.

“Ah?” Lynus murmured, far too stunned to fidget. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure,” Axel admitted, scratching the back of his neck. “Close? Close to what?”

From the point where Macerio appeared, Jhon and Tobyn came wandering out. They looked slightly disturbed, uneasy. Maybe even a little embarrassed. They remained silent, their expressions eerily the same, even as Axel turned to them, making eye contact.

“…What?” he asked.

Tobyn silently sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat while Jhon simply shook his head, indicating that he really, really didn’t want to answer.

“Stop moving around, jackass!” Macerio yelled. “I’m reloading!”

Lynus stood silently, Axel’s arm still around his waist and Lynus still grasping at the front of his shirt. What in the world had happened…?

Slowly, Axel’s arm unwound from around Lynus’ waist, his fingers lingering against the small of his back before disappearing completely. Lynus glanced up at Axel’s face, noting a very telling twitch under his left eye.

Uh oh…

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Axel said, abruptly becoming the centre of attention as he walked forward, his steps slow as he lifted his axe effortlessly with one hand, resting it on his shoulder in one dangerous motion. “And I don’t care. That bastard is mine.”

Everyone became still. The dangerous vibes in the air was rather potent.

“Huh?” Simmons uttered, paling considerably from the strangely intense atmosphere that settled over the area. Macerio had wisely chosen to flee, giving Axel a wide birth as he darted behind Jhon, the blond-haired Protector looking only mildly sympathetic.

“Asshole. You could have hit Lynus,” Axel said as his grip on the handle of his weapon tightened, his slow pace becoming more ominous. “I’m going to beat the living shit out of you.”

“W-wait…I was just…”

“You were _what_?”

“Axel…” Lynus laughed nervously as he watch Axel advance on the spluttering, nearly incoherently afraid, Simmons. “Try not to hurt him too badly, ok?”

Lynus really didn’t want to have to deal with him and his guild-mates at the hospital again.

… … … … …

Having just returned to the Inn and settled himself down in the tea room to catch up on the local news, Hamza was startled from his peace by the sound of a group of people entering into the lobby. The voices were instantly familiar.

Picking up the paper, Hamza made no attempt to hide the amused smile on his lips as Macerio practically stalked into the room, Binah and Becky dogging him. And behind them was Jhon and Tobyn, the two looking a little weary.

“So, have they confessed their undying love to each other yet?” Hamza asked, knowing immediately why his guild-members were looking so defeated and frustrated. That was the reason why the jaunt into the Labyrinth was suggested in the first place.

“Shut up!” Macerio automatically yelled, to no one in particular, but to everyone in the room nonetheless. “I can’t believe I’m doing this…” he muttered as he stomped out, the girls still following him, demanding details.

Hamza chuckled. “Another failed attempt, I presume?”

Tobyn’s eye gave a subtle, but telling twitch. “Simmons.”

“Oh?” Hamza uttered, his amusement knowing no bounds. “Did he challenge Axel at a crucial point?”

Jhon’s eyes narrowed accusingly, immediately picking up on his glee. “You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Perhaps I am,” Hamza admitted without remorse, turning his attention back to his paper. “Just a little.

It was important to let one’s hair down and have some fun every now and again, after all.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you have (had) a wonderful Christmas! I didn’t really, I’m afraid. I spent it in hospital…Yeah. That was fun. Anyway, there’s always next year!
> 
> Now, please read and enjoy!

Chapter 24:

The hospital was unnervingly quiet. There were a few patients, mostly locals, with minor complaints of stomach-aches or back spasms. Hardly any explorers nor guards. Which was good and the numerous medical staff were grateful for some peace, but it was still unsettling. They were used to rushing around all day long, calmly but hastily attending to the most wounded.

Lynus was sitting in the meal room with Angie, the young blonde-haired woman sitting in one of those swirly chairs simply spinning around in a slow circle, looking quite bored. Fellow Medic, Darrell, was also there, having completed his rounds (a couple of times, actually) and was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee.

And Lynus was idly flipping through a medical book, resting his chin in his hand.

“Quiet day,” Darrell commented, taking a long sip of his drink.

Lynus nodded and flipped another page. “Yup.”

“Kinda unnerving, to be honest,” Darrell added.

“It is,” Lynus agreed, nodding his head again as he turned another page. “It’s also somewhat reassuring.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Darrell said as he put down his cup, peering at Lynus from over the top of his glasses. “Why does it appear that Simmons is afraid of you?”

Lynus lifted his head from his hand and blinked, somewhat confused. Simmons had no reason to be afraid of him. What did he mean?

But he soon recalled the events from yesterday; the labyrinth, Simmons suddenly attacking Axel for a battle, Axel beating the living snot out of Simmons, Jhon having to grab Simmons by the collar and dragging the withering mess to the hospital, Axel cursing the other Landsknecht’s name all afternoon.

Darrell must have been the one to assist Simmons yesterday.

“Ah, you mean yesterday?” Lynus said, a small smile of amusement gracing his lips. “It's not me he's afraid of, perse. It's Axel.”

Darrell nodded his head slowly, seeming to have figured it out himself. “Why?” He was still curious to hear more, though.

“Axel beat him up yesterday.”

Darrell blinked. “...Why?”

“Simmons attacked Axel in order to get a battle out of him,” Lynus explained, emitting a soft chuckle. He shouldn’t be finding it as amusing as he did. “But he happened to do with me nearby.”

The way Simmons appeared out of nowhere, swinging that axe of his was actually quite terrifying. Yet the way Axel had so easily reacted, not only protecting himself, but taking great care in keeping Lynus safe. It was astounding how quickly he was able to move and defend, responding to a danger that Lynus didn’t even sense.

It impressed him greatly.

“Axel is...protective of me, I suppose you could say.”

Darrell blinked again before giving a one-shoulder shrug and returning to his coffee. “...Fair enough,” he uttered before taking a sip.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, only it wasn’t completely silent. There was a soft scratching noise. It was low, almost impossible to hear under normal circumstances. But since the hospital was so quiet, with only a few patients bustling about; the noise was more notable.

Lynus wasn’t the only one who noticed. Darrell had his head tilted to the side, his brow furrowed as he tried to pinpoint the sound. His eyes flickered over to Lynus and they locked gazes. After a moment, Lynus shrugged, not knowing what to think either.

It even got Angie’s attention, pulling her out of her boredom to tilt her head back to look up at the ceiling.

The sound of shoes clacking against the hard floor interrupted their ponderings and they turned toward the doorway. Dr Stiles appeared a moment later, a look of irritation on his on his usually professionally friendly face. “What is that noise?” he asked.

“That crunchy sound?” Lynus validated. “Yeah, we’ve been hearing it all day.”

“It’s giving me the creeps,” Angie commented, shivering uncomfortably.

A knowing tick appeared under Dr Stiles’s eye. He wasn’t so much uncomfortable by the sound, rather he was clearly annoyed. “It’s quite irritating.”

Jumping from her seat, Angie looked excited by something. “How about me and Lynus snoop around to find where it’s coming from?” she suggested. Ah, so that was why she appeared suddenly excited. She had something to do now.

“Wouldn’t hurt,” Lynus added as he closed the book he had been vaguely reading. “It’s pretty quiet now because there’s something happening at the bar. A competition or something.”

That was probably the reason why the hospital was so quiet – hardly any explorers were in the Labyrinth at the very moment.

“Hopefully it won’t turn into a bar fight like last time,” Dr Stiles muttered, lifting his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Last time?” Lynus questioned, his eyes glancing over at Angie, who in turn simply paled somewhat as she laughed nervously.

Dr Stiles scratched his chin as he mulled Angie’s suggestion over in his mind. “Well, since it’s not busy. And the noise is disturbing the patients.” Finally, he relented. “Ok, be careful, though. I just hope we haven’t got termites or something.”

As soon as those words left his lips, Angie had hooked her arm through Lynus’ and was dragging him out of the room.

… … … … …

“You can imagine, huh?” Angie chatted enthusiastically, her hand movements wide and dramatic. “Black eyes, bloody noses, busted lips, still trying to pick a fight with each other – even inside the hospital! No weapons were used, though. Apparently it goes against the Bar-Fighter’s Code or something.”

Lynus found himself laughing along. It wasn’t hard to imagine a bar-fight breaking out in a somewhat orderly fashion under Bar-keep Cass’s guidance. “I didn’t realise bar fights had an ethics code of conduct.”

“I didn’t either!” Angie giggled.

They had been walking through the many corridors and hallways of the hospital for quite a while now. They started with the most used rooms and high traffic hallways. But any possible source of the unnerving noise wasn’t found. A good thing in the long run.

They were now traversing the back rooms of the hospital, locations Lynus hadn’t visited before. He felt that there was no real need as they were mostly storage rooms, to his knowledge at least.

Lynus came to an abrupt halt, Angie pausing in both her words and movement beside him. That scratchy noise was rather loud at this point. And constant. Scraping, scurrying. Was something in the walls? He hoped they didn’t have rats or termites, or something.

Lynus followed the sound, the noise getting louder and louder with each step he took. Finally he reached a rather inconspicuous looking door.  He placed his hand on the door and tilted his head so he could listen in more closely.

“The sound is coming from in here,” he stated as he pushed away from the door, turning to regard Angie. “What’s inside?”

“Um…” Angie hummed in thought, tapping her chin. “Oh, that’s the old storage room. Old medical records are inside. The hospital has a policy of keeping patient medical records for three years before disposing of them.

“I see,” Lynus nodded his head in understanding. “Let’s have a look.”

But as Lynus reached out to clutch the doorhandle, the wooden structure decayed and crumbled before his very eyes. Startled and stunned, Lynus found himself taking a step back as he stared into the room.

And it was full of…

“B-butterflies?” Angie spluttered behind him.

Looking at the purple butterflies, Lynus recalled the picture from Tobyn’s monster codex. He remembered the coloured sketch so clearly as it closely resembled the Woodfly, another butterfly that was blue. Tobyn had specifically pointed out the difference to him and Lynus paid close attention because of the different attacks.

Purple butterflies were…poisonous.

“…Venomflies!” Lynus yelled in alarm, spinning around to grab Angie’s arm. “We have to get out of here!”

“Wah!” Angie shrieked in terror as she nearly tripped over her own feet in the attempt to flee the hordes of butterflies as they fluttered toward them. “They’re everywhere!”

“What are they doing here?” Lynus asked aloud, still gripping Angie by the arm as they ran as quickly as they could through the thankfully empty halls. He glanced over his shoulder, his fear increasing. “They’re getting inside the hospital.”

“The patients!” Angie cried in concern, fear evident in her voice. “What do we do?”

“We need to get to Dr Stiles,” Lynus said as they skidded around a corner, Lynus desperately trying to think of a way to somehow block the hordes of Venomflies. But the halls of the hospital were open and spacious for convenience. It wouldn’t be difficult at all for the hospital to be completely inundated. “We then need to find a way to confine either the Venomflies. Or ourselves.”

Skidding around another corner, Lynus keeping a firm grip on Angie’s arm in case she tripped and fell, a set of large wooden doors appeared before them. These doors were for security reasons, preventing the public from wandering where they weren’t meant to.

Perfect!

Reaching the doors, Lynus let go of Angie’s arm and forced the doors shut. He wasn’t able to trap all the Venomflies, a couple of small purple butterflies fluttering merrily in the air around them, but he did manage to prevent most of them from progressing further.

This door should give them the extra time they needed to secure the patients. But it won’t stop the Venomflies. With their vast numbers, it won’t take them long to eat their way through this wooden structure as well.

No time to lose.

Taking Angie’s hand in his, giving the young woman some comfort, the two wordlessly took off running again.

“Dr Stiles!” Lynus yelled, having no time to physically search for the head doctor, so opted to simply call his name. That should be enough to get his attention. “We’ve got a problem!”

Dr Stiles immediately appeared from a room, a look of utter bewilderment on his face. “What in the world-?”

“Quick!” Angie exclaimed desperately as she grasped onto his arm, breathless. “We need to save the patients!”

Still looking complete puzzled, Dr Stiles’ brow furrowed deeply. “Butterflies…?”

“Poisonous ones!” Lynus stated as he grabbed onto Dr Stiles other arm, he and Angie now physically dragging him back into the ward he just stepped out of. “Let’s go!”

Knowing that demanding an explanation at this point would only take up time best used to ensuring the safety of the patients; Dr Stiles removed himself from their holds and began to bark out orders to staff and patients alike. At first he was greeted with look of bewilderment and confusion, but they quickly jumped to attention when they realised the urgency in Dr Stiles’ voice and posture.

“Where would the safest place for them to be?” Dr Stiles asked as he grabbed the chart of patient names, noting with a mild look of gratitude that the list wasn’t as long as it normally was.

“They can eat through wood,” Lynus explained as he guided an injured elderly woman to her feet.

“Conference room, then,” Dr Stiles said, ushering the crowd of healers and patients toward a centre room.

Lynus darted off into the break room, to get his Shard Mace. He was going to need it.

Picking up his staff, Lynus spun around and struck down the Venomfly that had followed him. He soon found himself swatting down another, and then another.

“Caduceus,” Lynus uttered as he struck down a particular large Venomfly, sending it splattering against the wall. He spent about a second remembering the last time he used that spell before he pushed it aside, concentrating on his current predicament.

With the Venomflies now focused mostly on him, he tried his best to prevent any poisonous butterfly from getting too close to the medics that were transporting the sick and injured patients into the windowless room surrounded by stone walls; two large stone doors the only entry point. He heard some curses and sounds of surprise behind him, wincing when he realised that he wasn’t able to prevent them all. They were small and agile, and so very many of them.

“Lynus!”

Lynus slowly backed into the room, Dr Stiles and Darrell ready to slam the doors shut the moment he stepped inside.

As soon as he was inside, someone grabbed the back of Lynus’ coat, tugging him backwards as the doors were slammed shut. Dr Stiles and Darrell then leaned against the doors, using themselves as barricades.

“Angie! Head count!”

“R-right!”

Lynus rested against his knees as he tried to regain his breath, Angie darting around the room with the list in her hands, counting out loud as she did so.

“All accounted for,” Angie announced a few moments later, intensely relieved, but still very frightened nonetheless. “A few have been poisoned.”

“This isn’t good,” Darrell was heard muttered, anxiously pushing his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. “What should we do?”

Well, they couldn’t stay here for long. A few hours at the most, but they’ll eventually need to get out. Out of this room, out of this hospital.

But getting out won’t be easy. They barely managed to get this far, making a break for it with injured and barely mobile patients would be a death sentence.

Clutching his staff against his chest, a stark realisation quickly dawned upon Lynus. He was the only one with a weapon at present. The only one who could defend himself against these Venomflies.

And he immediately understood what needed to be done.

“I have to get out,” Lynus said.

Dr Stiles immediately snapped his attention toward Lynus, disbelief and blatant disproval on his face. “It’s too dangerous,” he stated firmly.

“Axel and the others are at the Bar,” Lynus argued back. “I need to tell them what’s going on. We can’t wait for someone to stumble across this.”

A flicker of reluctance appeared on Dr Stiles, not wanting to agree, but he knew that Lynus was right. They couldn’t afford to wait and see. If someone came here unexpectedly, they would be in danger. The whole situation was far too dangerous to wait anymore. He didn’t want him to go, but what choice did they have?

“…You’re right,” he finally said, guilt in his eyes as he pushed himself away from the door in preparation of opening it. “You need to head outside as quickly as possible. And for god’s sake, be careful.”

“Be careful, Lynus!” Angie called to him anxiously.

“It’ll be ok,” Lynus said, smiling reassuringly to everyone in the room. “I’ll get help. Everything will be ok.”

With that, Lynus slipped through the slight opening in the door. He uttered another ‘Caduceus’ in order to push his way through the fluttering Venomflies, momentarily clearing the way. More Venomflies soon took their place, though, and Lynus tried his best to ignore the way they were brushing against him as ran.

Running toward the exit, Lynus noted with some alarm by the large mass of Venomflies that were seen fluttering about, looking menacingly peaceful and majestic. The sight would have been utterly beautiful if it weren’t for the fact that these butterflies carried a deadly poison on their wings.

Rushing outside into the afternoon air was such an intense relief. And yet, something felt wrong. He felt hot, his chest tightening and breathless. He felt unnervingly weak, finding it hard to stay upright.

That could only mean one thing…

Damn, he’s been poisoned. Running was the worst thing he could do right now. But he had to get to the bar immediately. He had to get to Axel.

Although his vision was starting to blur, he was able to make out the sight of Stickleback Bar coming closer. He rushed to the doors and threw them open dramatically. The doors slammed open, bouncing off the walls behind them. His sudden appearance placed him in the centre of attention, but he didn’t really notice. The only sight he could clearly see was Axel.

“Axel!” he yelled, staggering a few steps inside. “Monsters are in the hospital!”

The last thing he saw before everyone went dark was Axel reaching out to him.


	25. Chapter 25

The Stickleback Bar was full to capacity. Something that Cass both enjoyed and hated. He was pleased because it more people meant more drinks being sold. Annoyed because more people meant it was harder to keep everyone in check. He was still mighty pissed about the last time the Guildmaster shanghaied all guilds into the Bar in order to consider possible competitions or tests for expert and rookie explorers. He didn’t mind the odd punch up, as long as the furniture wasn’t used.

Axel watched with a mild disinterest as several rookie guilds made the outrageous, but common, boasts about being the ones to finally discover every secret the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. It was their destiny, they’re purpose.

Or so they claim.

The more experienced guilds simply rolled their eyes, trying their best to ignore them. While it was good that the younger explorers had the drive and enthusiasm, it was going to take a lot more than that to even get past the first floor.

Sharing idle chitchat with other explorers, Axel overheard Kuro, a free-for-hire wandering Ronin, a warrior far older than he, mention something about Etria. It immediately piqued his interest.

Swivelling in his seat, Axel turned his attention to the Ronin. “You’re from Etria?”

“Correct,” Kuro replied, somewhat guarded.

“I was raised in a small village near there,” Axel explained, showing that he was only interested, not being nosy.

“Ah,” Kuro uttered, nodding his head in understand. “I’ve met a few people who resided somewhere near Etria.”

Idly turning his mug of ale on the table, Axel decided to ask him a direct question. “You know of a man called Taksony?”

“Indeed,” Kuro muttered, his eyes narrowing in a piercing manner. “Not a pleasant man.”

“What do you know about him?”

“Only gossip and rumours,” Kuro answered, leaning his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand. He didn’t seem that comfortable, but he seemed willing to speak nonetheless. “He was a notorious man. Feared and respected in equal quantity. However, he was greatly hated. His cruelty was well-known.”

“Yeah,” Axel muttered as he tried to reign in his hatred toward the man they were speaking of. He pushed forward as there was a bit more information he wanted to know. “I heard he’s dead now.”

“Ah, yes, indeed.” There was an odd sense of relief in Kuro’s voice. “No one was shedding tears of mourning.”

Axel felt the corner of his mouth twitch into a smirk. Ah, so he was dead. Not entirely sure how he felt about that. While on one hand it meant that Lynus had indeed…removed him from existence, it also meant that the old bastard won’t be coming after him any time soon. As in, not at all.

“I bet there’s a tonne of gossip surrounding his death.”

“An endless list of suspects.” A smirk was also presented on Kuro’s lips. “No one is really investigating, though. More important things to do. Although, some are undoubtedly angry that they didn’t get to him first.”

Axel snorted. “No truer words.”

“Ah, you are not a fan.”

“Not even remotely,” Axel muttered as he lifted his mug, his eyes narrowing. “Bastard. However he died, it didn’t matter. Too quick and painless.”

Kuro gave a short, low chuckle. “Many share those thoughts.”

Axel took a sip of his ale. Although his hatred toward Taksony would never be subdued, he did feel somewhat better knowing how hated the man was. Taksony was lucky that Lynus killed him first. If he hadn’t, someone else would have.

It was just a pity that someone didn’t have the guts to do it before Lynus was forced to.

Axel nearly choked on his ale when the doors to the bar were flung open in a dramatic fashion. He, along with everyone else in the bar became quiet as they spun around to face the unexpected intrusion.

Lynus…?

“Axel!”

Acting purely on reflex, Axel dropped his drink and jumped to his feet, the chair he was sitting on crashing to the floor. He pushed himself forward as Lynus stumbled toward him, his face flushed, his clothes covered in small tears and scrapes.

“Monsters are in the hospital!” Lynus said, frantically.

Fear gripped Axel immediately and he reached out toward Lynus, watching as his eyes suddenly rolled into back of his head and he began to fall. Before he could hit the floor, Axel swept him up into his arms, holding him as Lynus fell limp against him, his mace tumbling from his grip with a telling thud.

“Lynus?” Axel uttered as he wrapped an arm around his waist, threading the fingers of his other hand through his hair. His eyes were wide, not entirely believing what was going on.

The words soon dawned upon him, though. Wait…Monsters at the hospital? Shit.

“Everyone; to the hospital,” Axel commanded, keeping Lynus close. “Now!”

Before his words had a chance to resonate, the bar promptly emptied. Explorers took whatever means of exit, be it the doors or windows.

Scooping Lynus off the floor and into his arms, Axel was greatly concerned when Lynus’ head lolled against his shoulder, his face flushed with an unhealthy red and his breathing ragged. He was also covered in a light sheen of sweat, his skin pale and clammy. With one arm wrapped securely around his back, the other behind his knees, he carried Lynus over to a place where he could lay him down.

“Lynus?” Axel called his name as he gently lowered him onto a table, still cradling him against his chest. He got no response from the man in his arms and he felt his fear increase. He desperately turned to Hamza, who had lingered behind. “What’s wrong with him?”

Hamza was silent as he carefully inspected Lynus, his brow furrowing. “…Poison,” he muttered, not sounding at all happy.

“What?”

Shit. _Poisonous_ monsters were invading the hospital.

“I’ll stay here and take care of Lynus,” Hamza said, making an attempt to remove Lynus from Axel’s hold. He gave Axel a firm look when Axel refused to let go. “You are needed at the hospital.”

Axel didn’t want to leave Lynus, he wanted to stay here and look after him, watch over him. But…he couldn’t cure poison. Hamza knew some healing spells, so he was in good hands. And, besides, Lynus would be displeased to learn that Axel didn’t help out at the hospital.

“…Right,” Axel muttered as he reluctantly relinquished his hold on Lynus, allowing Hamza to carefully take him. He took a step back and reached for his axe, effortlessly lifting it up to rest on his shoulder. “I won’t be long.”

With one lingering look at Lynus, his face creased in a look of frustrated uselessness. He abruptly spun on his heel, though. He had a job to do. Lynus came looking for him, believing that he could solve the situation. And he wasn’t going to let him down.

Axel bolted from the bar, a look of determination now gracing his face.

After what felt like only a few seconds, Axel had finally reached the hospital. And the sight he was greeted with took him completely by surprise. “Shit,” he muttered as he glanced around in disbelief. “Venomflies?”

Purple butterflies, some large, some small, were fluttering about manically as they released their poisonous spores. There were so many of them. Everywhere. Axel was expecting something a little bigger, but he knew, despite their fragile appearances, how deadly Venomflies truly were.

“There’s hundreds of them!” Macerio exclaimed as he tried to shoot them out of the air.

“Axel!” Jhon called as he ran over to him, skidding to a halt next to him. “Any suggestions?”

Axel quickly snapped out of his shock. Right, time to get to work.

“First thing we need to do is to ensure that the patients and hospital staff are safe,” Axel stated firmly, with a strong sense of authority in his voice. He spoke loud enough for everyone within the vicinity would hear him. “Herd them into one room so we can protect them.” He tightened his grip on the handle of his axe. “Then we kill every single one of the little bastards.”

Jhon nodded, his own grip on his shield tightening as well. “Understood.”

It wasn’t going to be easy. Axel knew that. Jhon knew that. Everyone knew that.

But that didn’t mean they weren’t going to try.

Without another word, everyone parted, heading off in different directions in order to seek and find…and to make mental notes of any possible ‘bodies’ they could come across. Who knows how long these Venomflies had been causing havoc.

Axel darted through all the room, striking down any Vemonfly that got in his way. But in every room he came across, they were empty. In complete disarray, but empty nonetheless. It appeared that everyone just upped and left.  
   
Where was everyone?

Finally, he reached a pair of doors that were closed. He rushed toward them, placing his hand on the structure so he could throw them open and look inside. But as he tried to do so, he was met with some resistance. They seemed to be barred from the inside.

Was this…?

“Dr Stiles?” Axel tested.

A muffled, but familiar voice answered, “Axel?”

Thank goodness.

“What’s the situation?” Axel asked as he turned his back on the door, taking his axe in both hands.

“We’ve managed to gather everyone into one room,” Dr Stiles replied quickly, and to the point. “We’re safe for now.”

“Good,” Axel said as he struck down a monster. “Sit tight, we’ll take care of things from here.”

Taking note of the location, Axel’s next step was to inform many of the others as he could. They could stop searching and focus on the sole task on getting rid of these poisonous pests. Not going to be easy.

“Found them!” Axel yelled over the chaos. “They’re safe!”

“So, what now?” Macerio asked as he hastily dodged a Venomfly air bombing him. “How are we going to get rid of these things?”

It was going to be really, really difficult to destroy all these Venonflies with their weapons. They were small, agile and vast in numbers. It was going to take a hell of a long time. Unless…

Glancing over toward Magnus, he noticed that the Alchemist was using his fire attacks, taking down three and four Venomflies at a time. He hadn’t yet mastered the stronger, wide range elemental attacks. He was afraid to. He didn’t want to lose control because of his headaches.

But…

“Magnus?” Axel said as he swung his axe, taking out a few of the butterflies as he skidded closer to him. “They’re weak against elemental attacks. Do you think you can…?”

Magnus spun around to face him, looking pale and exceedingly frightened. “I…may not be…” he stuttered, shaking his head.

“You’ll be fine,” Shen unexpectedly interrupted him, slipping soundlessly behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Magnus’ eyes widen in surprise, his breath hitching his throat. However, he swallowed thickly and nodded his head once. “…Ok,” he said as he released a shuddering breath. “I’ll try.”

“Focus your energy and concentrate on the Aragonite stone,” Shen said to him, his hand moving up to rest over Magnus’ eyes. “It’ll keep you grounded.”

Pressing his hand against his chest, Magnus took another deep breath, his shoulders relaxing as he did so. “Yes,” he said, the tremor of unease from before had been replaced with an even tone of concentration and determination.

Then, the temperature of the room suddenly increased.

“Everyone get down!”

Shen removed his hand from Magnus’ eyes and the blond raised his own, lifting his arms with the palms facing upwards, moving out to his sides. His eyes snapped open, more focused and intense than ever before.

“…Inferno,” he said, his voice soft, yet so strong.

Axel immediately dropped to the floor, Chi-hung doing the very same next to him, using his body as a form of protection. Axel lifted his shield to place over Chi-hung’s head, giving some kind of protection in return. On the other side of him, Jhon lifted his shield, protecting both Tobyn and Macerio from the inferno, Tobyn pressed against his chest while Macerio huddled against his back.

Other explorers did what they were told, hitting the floor and covering their heads.

An intense heat was felt along with a crackling sound as flames roared over the top of them. The heat was stifling, sucking the air out of their lungs. Yet, the flames raced across the ceilings, where most of the Venomflies were gathered.

Seconds ticked by.

Slowly, the flames died down and then diminished completely. Standing tall amongst the smouldering husks of Venomflies, Magnus was breathing heavily, his eyes wide, his face pale. Shen had his arm around his neck, his forearm resting against his collarbone. Then, Magnus crumbled to his knees, falling onto his hands. Shen followed him down, keeping an arm around him in a comforting manner as Magnus breathed raggedly.

Axel pushed himself to his feet, quickly surveying the area. Satisfied that the Venomflies in this location had been expertly dealt with, he made his way over to Magnus and knelt down in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He frowned when he felt him trembling.

“You doing all right there, Magnus?” he asked.

“Y-yes,” Magnus breathed. “I’m fine.”

Axel was not convinced, however. His voice sounded as shaky as he looked. He glanced over to Shen, sharing a look with him. “…Shen, look after him.”

“Of course,” Shen immediately muttered.

“You did a great job, Magnus,” Axel said encouragingly giving Magnus’ shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Rest now.”

Stretching himself to his full height, Axel took a moment to carefully look around once more. The ground was littered with burnt insects and made a nauseating crunching sound when you stepped on them.

“Is everyone else all right?” Axel called out, still keeping an eye out for a possible ambush.

Lowering his shield, Jhon stood up; both Tobyn and Macerio stepping back from his protection to look around at their surroundings in mild surprise. “We’re fine,” Jhon answered, his relief palpable.

“We managed to avoid getting poisoned,” Tobyn added.

“Where did all those little bastards come from?” Macerio asked, still rather edgy. “And why the hospital?”

“Good question,” Axel murmured. He wasn’t able to answer it. Lynus might, but he was…recovering right now. Someone else might be able to answer, though.

Axel walked back over to the locked doors and gave a sharp knock. “Dr Stiles? We’ve gotten rid of most of them. It should be safe now.”

Slowly, the doors opened and Dr Stiles appeared, behind him several frightened, but relieved, faces. Being cautious, they stepped out and a look of distress and distain appeared on Dr Stiles’ face.

“What a mess,” he muttered.

“Is everyone all right?” Axel asked, peering into the room and noticed that several hospital beds with the sick and injured had been wheeled in. Hastily gathered medical equipment also lay strewn across the room.

“We’re fine,” Dr Stiles replied, indicating with his hand toward the other staff, motioning for them to stay put for now.

“What happened?”

“I’m not completely sure,” Dr Stiles answered with a tight frown on his lips as he pushed his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose. “Thanks to Lynus’ early warning, we managed to herd the patients into this room. It was the only one that didn’t have windows and was surrounded completely by stone walls. He then volunteered to get help, pushing his way through the Venomflies. I didn’t want him to go alone, but he is the most experienced here.”

There was a strong sense of guilt in his voice, his eyes flickering to catch Axel’s gaze. “How is he?”

“He…got poisoned,” Axel admitted, a strange sense of frustration tightening in his chest. “Hamza is looking after him at the bar.”

“I see…”

“Where did these things come from?” Jhon asked as he approached, taking up position beside Axel.

“Again, I’m not sure,” Dr Stiles admitted, beginning to sound incredibly frustrated. He glanced over his shoulder, back into the room. “Angie?”

A moment later, Angie timidly made her way out of the room. She knew immediately what they wanted to know. “In a storage room,” she said as she anxiously looked around. “We’ve been hearing noises all day, so me and Lynus went to investigate. And we found a whole mass of them in the storage room. The door disintegrated in front of us! There were so many!”

Jhon blinked and turned to look over his shoulder at Tobyn. “Could it have been possible that they were nesting in there?”

“Venomflies are found on the second floor of the Labyrinth,” Tobyn answered as he played with the rim of his hat. “It’s not impossible for them to make their way into town.”

“An investigation is in order,” Dr Stiles said tersely, clearly not at all pleased by the entire situation. Oh, sure, small butterflies could be easily overlooked, but that was no excuse. What were the guards even for if they allowed this to happen? “I’ll get Minister Dubois to look into it immediately.”

Axel nodded his head, idly trailing his fingertips over the hilt of his axe. What to do now? As powerful as Magnus’ Inferno was, could it have destroyed all the Venomflies?

“Tobyn, Chi-hung and I will do a quick sweep of the hospital,” Jhon suddenly stated, pulling Axe from his thoughts.

Axe glanced over to him, noting that the other members of their guild had also gathered around. Jhon stood at the forefront, Tobyn just to the left of him and Chi-hung to the right. Next to Chi-hung stood Shen, who had his arm around Magnus’ shoulders, supporting the still quite pale blond.

“I’ll escort Magnus back to the Inn,” Shen stated, leaving no room for objection.

“I’m ok,” Magnus insisted, granting them his shy smile. Still, he relied heavily on Shen for support.

“I’ll hang around here and see if I can help the doc out,” Macerio said as he stood not far from Axel, his arms behind his head in a casual manner.

“Axel,” Jhon said as he reached forward and placed an hand on Axel’s shoulder. He looked him straight in the eye. “You head back to the bar.”

Axel immediately felt grateful for his guild’s understanding and nodded. “Sure.”


	26. Chapter 26

His head was pounding when Lynus forced his eyes to flutter open. He felt dazed and confused, something he usually felt after a restless night’s sleep. When did he fall asleep? He soon began to question where he fell asleep. He was lying on something quite hard and flat, but had something soft folded behind his head. There was also something soft and moist resting against his forehead.

“H-huh? Where…?” Lynus murmured as his eyes began to focus. The high ceiling of the tavern greeted him and he furrowed his brow in bewilderment. Why was he at the bar…?

However, the memories quickly came flooding back. Venomflies, patients, hiding, Axel…

“The hospital!” Lynus cried as he sat up abruptly, his eyes wide, fear gripping him tightly. So did the strong feeling of light-headedness and Lynus’ world promptly tilted. He ignored that, though, forcing himself to the edge of…whatever he was positioned on in order to get up.

Suddenly a hand grasped his shoulder, holding him still. “Calm yourself.”

Startled, Lynus stiffened and looked to his right. Even though his vision was still rather hazy and unfocused, he was able to make out the person who was holding him back. “Hamza?”

The dark-haired War Magus simply smiled, nodding his head once. Behind him stood Cass, his hands on his hips, a look of subtle relief on his face.

“Made quite an entrance there, kiddo,” he said, his voice uncomfortably loud for Lynus’ aching head. “I’ve never seen the bar empty so quickly before in my life!”

“Explorers from every guild immediately offered their assistance,” Hamza explained a moment later, no doubt noticing the look of confusion on Lynus’ face.  
   
Lynus felt his shoulders relax with relief. Good, he had managed to get his warning out in time. But was it the right decision? Was Axel ok? What about the other explorers? Did they make it in time?

“Is everyone ok?” he asked, lifting his hand to clutch at his forehead, hoping to elevate the throbbing pain. He couldn’t cast Refresh at the moment as his head hurt too much to concentrate. And, well, he’s never been very good at healing himself.

“Everyone is fine.”

Lynus, however, snapped his head up the very second he recognised that voice. Ignoring his dizziness, he looked over to his right, watching as Axel hastily made his way through the empty tables and chairs. His axe rested on his back, his armour blackened slightly by something. But he was up and about, his movements easy and unimpeded.

Before Hamza could react, advising him against it, Lynus had slipped off the table he had been resting on and made it to his feet. “Axel!”

“Easy,” Axel said as he caught him when his legs suddenly gave out, both of his arms wrapping securely around his waist, pulling him against his chest.

“Good,” Lynus murmured as his hands gripped at the front of Axel’s shirt, looking up into his face, his eyes searching his, comforted to see that he was all right. “You’re not hurt. And the patients?”

“Yes, everyone is fine,” Axel reiterated.

Lynus sighed and rested his forehead against Axel’s collarbone, letting himself be completely supported by Axel’s arms. “…Thank goodness.”

“You need to take it easy,” Hamza announced, a slightly berating tone in his voice. “You’re still light-headed from the poisoning.”

“Yeah, I was poisoned, wasn’t I?” Lynus murmured as he lolled his head to the side, pressing his right ear against Axel’s shoulder. He wasn’t that overly concerned about his poisoning to be perfectly honest. “There were so many of them.”

“It’s remarkable that we were able to get away with just poison,” Axel muttered, his arms tightening around him. “You could have been killed.”

“I had to do something,” Lynus found himself explaining, feeling somewhat guilty at the worry in Axel’s voice.

Axel simply sighed as he pressed his chin against Lynus’ forehead, lifting a hand to run reassuringly through his hair. Although it wasn’t certain who he was exactly comforting. Was it Lynus? Or himself? A little bit of both, perhaps.

Lynus knew what Axel was feeling, though; a frustrated sense of uselessness. He had felt it multiple times before, whenever Axel had to venture into the Labyrinth on a very dangerous quest. Anything could happen to him inside Yggdrasil. He could just disappear – die – and Lynus would never know.

It was a terrifying state of mind.

Whispering another sorry under his breath, Lynus lifted his head from Axel’s shoulder. His vision, although still blurry, was beginning to clear. His head, however, still throbbed from tension and discomfort.

“I should get back,” Lynus muttered as he attempted to pull away from Axel, only to find himself promptly pressed against his chest once more.

“The only place you’re going is the Inn,” Axel stated firmly, his arms still warm and secure around him. And weren’t going to be letting him go any time soon.

“I agree,” Hamza commented, promptly reminding Lynus that he was still there. He squirmed in Axel’s hold, turning so that he could regard Hamza. The black-haired War Magus smiled knowingly at him, but he was still firm in his voice.

“You’re going to the Inn,” he continued. “No doubt that word has spread now. Everything at the hospital will be taken care of. You need to rest.”

“I’m ok,” Lynus insisted.

Axel snorted. “You can barely see and can’t even stand on your feet under your own strength,” he muttered, highly cynical.

Lynus sighed, about ready to protest, insist that he was really ok. Sure, his head hurt and he felt incredibly light-headed, and he felt tired. But he wasn’t poisoned anymore. So, he really was fine.

Hamza, however, seemed to sense his defiance. He gave Axel a sharp, telling look. “Axel,” he said, lifting his chin up, pointing at Lynus.

Axel nodded his head sharply. Then, before Lynus had a chance to try to figure out what Hamza was alluding to, Axel adjusted his hold on him. Keeping a firm grip around Lynus’ shoulders he took a small step backwards, leaned down and placed his forearm behind Lynus’ knees, scooping him up off his feet into his arms.

Lynus made a noise of surprise as he immediately gripped at Axel’s shoulders, slightly disorientated by the abrupt change in position. Axel took a moment to jostle him, repositioning him in his arms. The arm that was around his shoulders slipped to rest against the middle of his back, his large hand pressed against Lynus’ side. His other arm was positioned under his knees, his legs draped over Axel’s forearm as his hand rested on Lynus’ thigh.

Feeling a heating sensation grace his cheeks, Lynus squirmed, turning to look directly into Axel’s eyes. “H-hey!”

“Keep still,” Axel said, effortlessly holding Lynus in his arms.

“I can walk,” Lynus tried to weakly protest, his arms moving to wrap around Axel’s neck as Axel spun around, moving to leave the bar. His hold on Axel was unnecessary, though. The way Axel was carrying him, his arms so secure and powerful; it wasn’t like he was going to drop him.

“Probably,” Axel muttered, his eyes focused forward as he walked into the cool evening air.

“Axel…”

“You’re too light,” Axel commented unexpectedly, his hand against Lynus’ side giving a light squeezed.

Lynus wiggled and winced at the tickling sensation his touch yielded. “What?”

“I could carry you with one arm,” Axel insisted.

“That doesn’t mean a thing. You can carry anything with one arm,” Lynus retorted swiftly before he resumed his squirming. “Now, put me down.”

“No,” Axel said bluntly. “You’re just going to have to hack it.”

“…Fine,” Lynus sighed, knowing that look. He remembered seeing it several times from their childhood. It was his determined look. An expression he wore whenever he was entirely focused on something.

There was absolutely nothing to gain in struggling.

“But only to the Inn, ok?” Lynus asked as he relaxed, allowing his head to fall and rest against Axel’s shoulder, his fingers knotting together behind Axel’s neck. “I don’t want to worry the others.”

“Sure,” Axel replied, sounding pleased that Lynus had ceased his protests. “I’ll put you back on your feet when we get there.”

“Kay,” Lynus murmured, suddenly feeling a little drowsy.

Axel’s lips brushed against his forehead. “Tired?”

“Yeah, a little,” Lynus admitted, subconsciously curling closer into Axel’s chest.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that. Only the sound of Axel’s boots hitting the stone pathways as he walked interrupted the quietness. The steady movements of Axel’s pace, his arms holding him so gently, yet firmly, it gave Lynus a true sense of peace.

Lynus was feeling himself about to drop off to sleep, something that he would have welcomed, in spite of his earlier protests, when Axel shrugged his shoulder gently, jolting him into a state of consciousness.

“We’re here,” Axel said simply, indicating with a tilt of his head toward Flauss Inn.

Lynus gave him a grateful smile as Axel lowered him gently to his feet, keeping an arm around his shoulder just in case. Drawing in a deep breath, Lynus straightened his shoulders and took a step forward.

“Lynus!”

Stepping one foot inside the lobby, Lynus was immediately tackled by two separate sets of arms. One wrapped around his waist, a face pressed against his torso. The other pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders, a face pressed against his neck. He recognised them both immediately.

“Binah,” Lynus said as he placed a comforting hand on Binah’s head, his other touching Lirit’s arm. “Lirit.”

Lirit pulled away to get a better look at him, concern blatant on his face. “Are you all right?” he asked, his hands still resting on his shoulders. “We heard what happened.”

Hamza wasn’t kidding when he said word had gotten around. Probably not much of a surprise, really. They were used to hearing of terrifying encounters of monsters within the Labyrinth. This had to have been the first time that monsters attacked the hospital.

“I’m fine,” Lynus said as he tried to smile reassuringly at them. He looked up and noticed that Matron and her daughter, Becky, were standing in the background. They, too, seemed to be relieved to see him.

Then Lynus’ gaze flickered over to his left, his eyes widening when he noticed the presence of another person he wasn’t expecting. “Rahas?”

The silver-haired Dark Hunter didn’t look happy. He had this look on his face, his visible eye narrowed and critical.

Slowly, Binah and Lirit detached themselves from him, backing away quietly. Everyone grew unnervingly silent as Rahas strode forward.

“Why didn’t you come to me?” Rahas asked tersely, and unexpectedly.

“I’m sorry,” Lynus replied out of reflex, completely startled by the question. He felt the overwhelming sense to explain himself, although he didn’t know why. He just began to prattle on. “I didn’t know where you were. I mean, you’re always disappearing and I could never…”

Rahas listened, his expression fiercely protective. However, a look of frustration appeared, his brow creasing deeply, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. “…It’s because I’m not strong enough,” he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Lynus to make out the words.

“What? No!” Lynus exclaimed, moving forward in an attempt to place a hand on Rahas’ shoulder. He needed to comfort him in some way. “That’s not true. You’re-”

Rahas gave him this distressing look, his jaw clenched, his hands balling into fists. He then abruptly turned on his heel, all but storming off. He was leaving the Inn.

“Rahas, wait!” Lynus said as he tried to follow him, but he unexpectedly stumbled, falling back into Axel’s arms. “I’m sorry, I just-”

“Let him go,” Axel whispered into his ear.

“B-but…” Lynus felt that he was letting Rahas down in some way.

“You can try speaking with him tomorrow,” Axel suggested as his arms wrapped around him from behind.

Lynus sunk back against his chest. “I don’t know what to do with him anymore,” he admitted, finding comfort in Axel’s presence once more.

“He’s been here all day,” Binah said, speaking up from the background. She looked and sounded worried as well. No doubt that she, too, was wondering what emotions were welling up inside of Rahas.

“He’s been hanging around a lot lately,” Lirit also commented, shifting uneasily on his feet.

“I see,” Lynus murmured.

“Come on,” Axel said to him. “You need to rest.”

Lynus suddenly felt incredibly tired and slowly nodded his head, turning toward Axel as he once against wrapped an arm around him. “Kay.”

He didn’t remember what happened after that.

… … … … …

When Lynus opened his eyes, he found himself staring up at the familiar sight of the ceiling in his room. A gentle light flooded the room from a slight parting in the curtains. It was morning, the sound of birds chirping outside his bedroom window.

Slowly, he sat up in bed and glanced around. His head felt better than it did last night. Much better. He had a few aches and pains, though. And his arms felt somewhat itchy. Becoming more conscious, he noticed that he was dressed in a dark blue shirt that was way too big for him and a pair of boxer shorts. They were comfortable, but…they weren’t his.

It seemed like a typical morning (accept for the clothes, of course). But how did he get here?

“I don’t remember getting here…” Lynus muttered, puzzled.

“That’s because you fell asleep,” a voice answered from the doorway.

“Axel?” Lynus snapped his attention toward the red-haired Landsknecht. Axel was leaning his shoulder against the doorframe of the open door, his arms folded across his chest. He had a small smile on his face.

“I did?” Lynus uttered before briefly remembering what happened last night and he felt a light flush grace his features. He must have fallen asleep against Axel and he carried him up starts. “Oh, sorry.”

“You look good in my shirt,” Axel commented.

“This is yours?” Lynus asked as he unconsciously tugged at the shirt. It was so big that the collar had slipped down and was exposing his shoulder. He must look a sight; wearing a large shirt, looking dazed and hair a mess. “No wonder it feels so big on me.”

“Everything would be big on you,” Axel quipped as he pushed away from the doorframe, striding into the room.

“Oh, come on,” Lynus pouted. “I’m not that thin.”

A though suddenly occurred to him and he felt slightly self-conscious. Since he fell asleep before entering the room, when did he change clothes?

Oh…

“Did you…?”

Axel didn’t answer directly. He simply sat on the edge of Lynus’ bed, turning to face him. An unexpected sense of guilt appeared in his eyes, his face solemn. “You’re covered in grazes, you know,” he said.

Lynus fiddled with the hem of the shirt he was wearing. “From the Venomflies.”

“Can’t you heal them?”

Lynus began to fidget. “I’m not very good at healing myself,” he admitted.

The skill of healing came from the healers need to help others. Their care and concern supported their powers. You had to care about a person in order to heal them. And, well…he didn’t really care much about himself. They were only minor scraps, though. Better that they heal naturally, anyway.

Axel sighed as he lifted his hand, gently caressing the side of Lynus’ face with a gentle touch. “…You need to take better care of yourself,” he said.

Lynus was unable to say anything to that. He simply nodded his head once, pressing his cheek against the palm of Axel’s hand. His eyes slipped closed as Axel ran a thumb over his bottom lip, a touch that made a strange tingling sensation run down Lynus’ spine. It felt…nice.

But he…really should get up.

“I better get up,” Lynus said as he lifted his hands to touch Axel’s wrist, tugging his hand away. The loss of warmth was immediate and he felt acutely cold. “I want to visit the hospital.”

“To check up on everyone?” Axel queried as he pulled back. He sounded like he already knew the answer, though.

“I guess,” Lynus said as he folded the bed sheets back, slipping his legs out and placing his feet on the floor. “I bet they’re worried.”

“Of course,” Axel replied. He sounded resolute, like he had visited the hospital himself while Lynus had been sleeping. “And Dr Stiles is pissed.”

“Yeah…” Lynus said, unsuccessfully hiding a wince. “I can imagine.”

Silently, Lynus began to get dress, slipping on a spare set of his usual clothes. Black pants, blue shirt, white medic coat. Nothing too flashy, really. As he was doing this, Axel didn’t say a thing. He was still sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared intently at a certain spot on the floor.

It was slightly unnerving. Sure, Axel wasn’t a chatty person, but there was this tension in the air.

Slipping on his white coat, Lynus found himself chewing on his bottom lip as he glanced at Axel from the corner of his eye. “Are you mad at me?” he asked.

Axel blinked, seemingly being snapped out of his musings. “Hm?”

Lynus shrugged timidly. “It feels like you are.”

“I’m not mad at you,” Axel said as he ran a hand roughly through his hair. “I’m mad at myself.”

“Why?”

“I promised that I would protect you,” Axel confessed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked torn, both guilty and upset. “But last night, you could’ve been-”

“There was no way you could have known,” Lynus interrupted him as he moved to stand in front of him. He placed his hands on Axel’s shoulders, leaning forward to become eyelevel with him. “No one could have predicted something like that happening.”

He allowed a soft sigh to escape as he pressed their foreheads together. It was his turn to offer some comfort for once. “Axel, stop feeling guilty, ok?” he whispered. “I’m fine. I’m still here.”

Axel was silent at first, unresponsive. However, his hands moved up to touch Lynus. He placed his hands on Lynus’ hips, tugging him closer to him. And Lynus followed. Lynus took one small step forward, one leg in-between Axel’s, resting the knee of his other on the bed. He wound his arms around Axel’s neck and shoulders, resting his chin on top of Axel’s red hair. Axel nuzzled his face against Lynus’ chest, his arms wrapping around waist.

How long they stayed like that, neither of them knew.

Or cared.


	27. Chapter 27

After having a quick breakfast (Lynus wasn’t all that hungry, but Axel refused to allow him to leave the Inn without having something to eat), offering a few words of reassurance that he was fine (to a surprising amount of people) and inquiring where Rahas had gone (no one knew…), Lynus had finally made his way back to the hospital.

Axel was with him, of course, having received a few orders by the others to keep an eye on him.

Walking up the stairs, the outside of the hospital didn’t look that bad. It was nothing but a facade, though, as the inside was where everything took place. And stepping through the front entrance, Lynus couldn’t help but wince. There were two very distinct smells; one of powerful disinfectant. And the other smell was that of burning of flesh.

The upper parts of the walls and ceilings where covered in a light layer of soot from some kind of fire attack. Piled into corners were blackened debris, having been swept there in haste and waiting to be disposed of. There were also mounds of destroyed furniture, some that could be fixed, while others were beyond repair.

But what made Lynus feel really devastated were the damaged medical equipment. Substitutes weren’t easy to get a hold of, and replacing them was nearly impossible.

“This place is a mess,” Lynus said with a sigh, folding his arms over torso, feeling deflated.

“It’s actually better than it was,” Axel muttered as he scratched the back of his neck.

“Lynus!”

Hearing his name, Lynus turned to see Angie running over to him, relief on her face. And behind her was Darrell, his two fellow healers looking rather haggard and frazzled. Still, it was good to see that they were both alright.

“How are you feeling?” Angie asked him.

“I’m fine. Really,” Lynus answered, what felt like the umpteenth time that morning. “Where’s Dr Stiles?”

“On the warpath,” Darrell answered with a somewhat wary expression. “He’s been really quite terse all morning. No surprise, really.”

“Yeah,” Angie agreed, nodding. “And he’s been in a bad mood.”

“I see…”

Before Lynus could ask any questions, maybe even offer some assistance as was his nature, Dr Stiles appeared. He stalked out of a room, his face creased into a look of pure displeasure. Disgruntlement, even. His usually pristine coat was rumbled, covered in dust and black soot.

Suddenly, Dr Stiles turned to look in Lynus’ direction. And his eyes promptly narrowed. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he stomped over to him.

Lynus found himself hunching his shoulders meekly. “I just-”

“No, you don’t,” Dr Stiles said, his nerves fraying thin as he poked Lynus on the forehead. “You were poisoned. You’ve done more than enough. You’ve got today off. So I don’t want to see you anywhere near the hospital today. Clear?”

“But-”

Dr Stiles’ eyes narrowed menacingly. “Did I stutter?”

“No, no no,” Lynus squeaked obediently, clearly intimidated by the ominous presence Dr Stiles was emitting. “I’ll just…yeah.”

“Good,” Dr Stiles said as he nodded his head sharply before turning his highly intimidating gaze toward Axel, who had been conversing with Darrell about something. Feeling the intense gaze on him, the redhead tensed slightly. “Axel, get him out of here.”

Axel gave a small salute. “Yes, sir.”

With what he wanted to say said, Dr Stiles spun sharply on his heel and began to stalk through the charred halls, his posture tense, his expression stern and his stride powerful and resolute.

“See ya later, Lynus,” Angie said as she scurried after Dr Stiles.

Darrell gave Lynus a small smile. “Take care,” he said.

Lynus nodded, still somewhat stunned. “Good luck,” he muttered before he retreated to the safety of Axel’s presence, making a rather hasty exit from the hospital.

No wonder explorers feared him. He was exceptionally intimidating. That was the first time Lynus had experienced that doctorial side of him. Bloody unnerving, if he was to be honest. And he made the mental note to ensure that he never encountered that notorious side of him ever again.

Not really wanting to head back to the inn just yet, Lynus managed to talk Axel into allowing him to visit the bar. He hadn’t seen Lirit that morning, the younger Troubadour having already left to do some work at the bar.

Stepping into the bar, Lynus immediately recognised a few faces as they turned to glance in their direction, doing a double take when they noticed that it was him. As did Jhon, Tobyn and Lirit.

“Lynus!” Lirit greeted happily, somewhat surprised to see him.

In his usual spot behind the bar, Cass also greeted. “How’s it going, shortstuff?”

Lynus rubbed the back of his neck in a bashful way. “Ah, I’m fine.” He wasn’t sure what to do with all the attention…

Jhon nodded his head in Lynus’ direction, smiling politely as Tobyn mutely nodded his head as well. Jhon then glanced in Axel’s direction, a slightly apologetic expression on his face. “Ah, Axel. Sorry, Hamza wishes to speak with us.”

“Is it important?” Axel asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked baffled, with a small hint of unease.

“He seems rather troubled,” Jhon replied, sounding rather puzzled himself.

“…Really?”

“I’m ok now,” Lynus said, effortlessly picking up on the powerful explorers’ subtle anxiety. “I promise I won’t leave the bar.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” Lirit added, offering a little bit of reassurance.

Axel seemed reluctant to leave, no doubt wanting to keep a close eye on him after the events of last night. But he also knew that if Hamza seemed troubled by something, than there was indeed something to worry about. “Ok,” he said.

“Hopefully we won’t be long,” Jhon added as they turned to leave.

“I’ll be here,” Lynus reassured again, watching until they were out of sight before moving to take a seat at a table. Lirit immediately slipped into a chair next to him.

“I’m surprised you were even let out of the Inn,” Lirit commented, a light sense of amusement in his tone.

Lynus granted him a small smile. “I wanted to check up on the hospital,” he said, before a sigh escaped his lips and his shoulders sagged. “It’s a real mess.”

Lirit tilted his head to the side in question. “And now?”

“I was just kicked out of the hospital,” Lynus replied, a wary smile gracing his lips. “And I’m not allowed to go anywhere near it today. I need to rest, apparently.”

“Of course you do!” Lirit immediately stated, rather firmly. “It’s about time you start looking after yourself.”

Lynus laughed nervously. “Haha, Axel said the same thing.”

Axel was protectively angry after the situation at the hospital had been subdued. And in hindsight, it was indeed a potentially dangerous position to have been in. The numbers of Venomflies were impossible to count, every single one of them capable of poisoning.

Thinking back on it, it was frightening.

But it wasn’t at the time. Sure, he was scared, but he had something he had to do. The safety of the patients and his fellow medics was vitally important. He didn’t have time to feel scared and panicky.

“I wish I had my books with me, though,” Lynus commented as he folded his arms, resting them on top of the table. Now that he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near the hospital and Axel was busy, he didn’t know what to do with himself.

He wasn’t used to doing nothing.

“Medical books?” Lirit asked him, somewhat disapprovingly.

“Sort of,” Lynus replied. “Reference books. They have recipes consisting of items, medicines or accessories, made from things discovered from the Labyrinth.”

“You mean like this?” Cass suddenly asked as he bent down, reaching for something hidden under the counter. He quickly pulled out a large, thick-covered book and slammed it on the bench.

“Yes!” Lynus said as he jumped from the seat, quickly making his way over to the bar. He looked at the book, noting immediately that it was different from the ones he had already seen. “I haven’t seen this one.”

“Well, at least it will keep you busy,” Lirit commented, drolly.

Lynus didn’t really pay attention as he was flipping through the pages. He felt a slight sense of excitement when he noted that a few of these recipes would be easy to make. “Do you mind if I try some of these recipes out?”

“Sure, why not? Slow day for some reason,” Cass answered, shrugging carelessly. “Find something to use those damn bug wings.”

Lynus looked up from his book, tilting his head to the side. “Bug wings?”

Again, Cass bent down to reach under the bar. This time, though, he revealed a basket full of purple wings, placing them on the counter in a rather annoyed fashion. Lynus subconsciously reeled back, not really wanting to get too close. The last time he did…

“Where did you get those from?” Lirit was the one to ask.

“From the hospital, where else?” Cass replied, rather cheekily.

“Never mind…” Lirit murmured, instantly regretting in asking.

Keeping a respectful distance from the wings, Lynus turned his attention back to the book. It wasn’t at all difficult to find a few recipes that used bug wings. “It shouldn’t be hard to use those bug wings to make poison,” he murmured idly.

“Poison, eh?” Cass said, grinning rather sadistically.

“I don’t think your patrons will appreciate the choice of a poisonous drink,” Lynus hastily retorted, hoping that he wasn’t being serious.

“Perfect for the ones that piss me off! Haw haw haw!”

Lynus tried to laugh, but it came out as a nervous chuckle. He made the mental note not to leave any ‘poison’ lying around. And to hide the recipe…

“Oh, I just remembered that I had something to do,” Lirit exclaimed, remorsefully. He had promised Axel that he would ensure that Lynus wouldn’t leave the bar. But, now that Lynus had a book and some ingredients to occupy himself with, he shouldn’t go anywhere. And Cass was there; he’ll make sure to keep him inside.

“I’ll catch you later,” Lirit said as he gave Lynus a quick hug from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. “And remember, no work.”

“Yes, yes,” Lynus said as he patted Lirit on the head. “I’ll be fine. Shoo now.”

“Kay,” Lirit said as he hopped away from Lynus and rushed out through the doors.

Out of habit, Lynus watched until he left his line of sight. He didn’t know where Lirit was going, but he was pretty certain that he wouldn’t be traversing into the labyrinth. Lirit was smart. He knew better than to go somewhere as dangerous as the labyrinth on his own.

Not a moment after Lirit left, Macerio suddenly appeared through another set of doors. Lynus found himself blinking, somewhat puzzled to see him as Macerio stomped inside, an expression of irritation on his face.

Macerio then spun around, throwing his hands into the air in frustration. “Stop whining at me! I aint gonna do shit for you!”

Directly behind him was Tiffany, the female gunner wearing an expression similar to his. “Is that anyway to treat family?” she asked him sharply, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

“Hah!” Macerio barked out a dry laugh. “When do you-?” He abruptly paused mid-sentence when he did a quick glance around at his surroundings, his gaze colliding with Lynus’.

“Oh, hey, Lynus!” Macerio said as he dashed over to him, seemingly happy for a distraction.

“Hello, Macerio,” Lynus greeted with a smile, mildly noting that Tiffany seemed to edge closer, almost reluctantly. He greeted her with a polite nod, getting a pout in return, before he reached forward to the mortar and pestle that were carved out of stone.

“You two are related?” he asked, only mildly curious. “Sorry, couldn’t help overhearing.”

“Cousins,” Macerio answered, releasing a long suffering sigh. “She’s just jealous that I’m in the Guardians Guild and she’s not.” A mischievous grin unexpectedly formed on his lips. “Especially since she’s crushing on Axel~!”

Lynus gave an uncharacteristic twitch. “Axel…?” He felt somewhat, and unexpectedly, something…Was he jealous? No, that didn’t sound right.

“I do NOT have a crush on Axel!” Tiffany immediately exclaimed, the dark dusting of red flitting across her features doing absolutely nothing to the credence of her denial. “I simply admire his talent.”

“And he’s big, strong muscles,” Macerio continued to tease, mockingly flexing his muscles.

“Shut up!” Tiffany shrieked before she began to prattle on. “I do not stare at his powerful arms, or the way the muscles in his back seem to ripple likes waves on the ocean when he swings his axe. I mean-! He is a very talented Landsknecht!”

“He is, isn’t he?” Lynus muttered under his breath as he plucked a couple of purple bug wings from the basket, placing them into the bowl.

“Eh?”

“It’s nice to see that Axel has admirers,” Lynus commented, not really paying attention to what he was doing. “Even though he doesn’t see himself having fans.”

“F-fans?” Tiffany stuttered, looking and sounding indignant. “Are you calling me-?”

“I mean, I’m not surprised he has fans,” Lynus said as he picked up the pestle, carefully beginning to crush the bug wings. “He’s strong, talented and handsome, am I right?”

“W-well, yes…”

“But there’s more to him than his strength,” Lynus just began to speak, smiling softly when he thought of his red-haired friend. He wasn’t entirely sure why he found the need to simply talk. Usually, he said a few words, offering assistance or reassuring. But, for whatever reason, he felt…chatty.

“He’s also very loyal. To me, in particular. I’m very lucky, aren’t I?” he chuckled absentmindedly. “He’s protective of me. I do hope that someone doesn’t try to break us apart.”

“Yeah,” Macerio said, around a snigger, surprisingly. “I pity the person who does, you know?”

And equally surprising was that Tiffany seemed to agree. “Y-yes, that would be a tragedy. “

Quickly thinking back to the other day, where Axel beat the snot out of Simmons because there was a chance that he could have hit Lynus in his attempt to egg Axel into battle made Lynus chuckle. “Axel would attack them with his axe, wouldn’t he?”

“And…” Macerio drawled, sounding blatantly amused by something. “What would you do?”

Lynus unintentionally stabbed the pestle he was holding into the mortar with a loud crack. “…Poison them, probably,” he muttered. “As a Medic, I have access to a magnitude of medicines and drugs.”

He soon realised what he was saying and he flushed deeply, ashamed and startled by the words. He hastily plucked a few more bug wings and placed them into the bowl. “Not that I could do such a thing,” he said, trying to redeem himself. “I mean, but I wouldn’t want to be separated from him. I…might do something desperate.”

The thought of being separated from Axel was…frightening. Especially after just finding each other again.

“Medics can be really dangerous, huh?” Macerio sniggered again.

Lynus blinked, pulling himself out of his thoughts. As he did so, he glanced down at the mortar and winced. It was half full with crushed bug wings. When did he pick up so many? “Damn.”

“What?”

Lynus glanced over his shoulder, noting that Tiffany was looking unhealthily pale, while Macerio was sitting cross-legged on top of a table, a suspiciously entertained smirk on his lips.

“Looks like I accidentally made Poison Gas,” Lynus answered, frowning as he did so. “I wasn’t trying to…”

“I just realised that I have something to do!” Tiffany unexpectedly said, her voice high-pitched with unadulterated fear. “Excuse me!”

Before Lynus could blink, Tiffany had scurried out of the bar, nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste. Bewildered, Lynus turned his attention to Macerio, hoping that he could fill in what had gotten Tiffany so frightened.

Instead, Macerio started laughing, loudly. He lurched forward and clutched at his stomach as he tumbled off the table. He landed on the floor with a loud thud, and yet he kept laughing.

His confusion growing, Lynus gazed down at the brown-haired Gunner that was practically rolling on the floor. “What?”

“That…” Macerio wheezed as he lay on his back, his cheeks slightly moist from laughing so hard that he was crying. “Was awesome.”

“What was?” Lynus asked, not understanding what was so funny.

“Oh, you know,” Macerio answered back vaguely, grinning up at him.

“What’s going on in here?”

“Ah, Axel!” Lynus greeted, somewhat relieved to see him, as Axel walked over to him. “Welcome back.”

Axel granted Lynus a small smile before turning to look at Macerio who was starting to pick himself up off the floor. “Why did I see your cousin run out of here like a bat out of hell?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“It’s hilarious,” Macerio simply stated, still grinning from ear to ear as he glanced over to Cass, who had been standing silently in the background the entire time. “You heard it, too, Cass!”

Cass grinned widely. “Every word!”

Lynus was still deep in the haze of confusion. “What?” he asked, almost desperately.

“Ok,” Axel said slowly, still eyeing Macerio of sceptically. Deciding that he wasn’t going to get a straight answer, he shrugged and turned to look at Lynus. “Anyway, I just came back from the hospital. Hamza wanted us to do another sweep of the place.”

Lynus nodded his head in understanding, choosing to ignore the poison for now and he focused his full attention on Axel. It was reassuring to know that everyone was concerned about the events that occurred just yesterday. “How is everything now?” he asked.

“Still cleaning up,” Axel answered. “And Dr Stiles is still furious, as you can imagine. He’s speaking with Minister Dubois right now.”

Having only seen the emergency administration of the hospital, Lynus didn’t have much idea of how badly damaged the rest of the building was. “Was there much damage to hospital?”

“The storage room, where they were breeding, has been completely destroyed,” Axel explained as he leaned against the bar, folding his arms over his chest. “The little bastards were like termites.”

Lynus nodded his head, remembering how the door to the storage room had just crumbled under his hand. “Rebuilding is going to take a while, isn’t it?”

“At least the patients and medical staff are fine,” Axel added, still finding that fact remarkable.

“Right,” Lynus immediately agreed, he, too, still very relieved by it as well. “That’s all that matters in the end.”

“Everyone is still asking about you,” Axel commented.

Lynus smiled bashfully, and slightly guilty. “I must have really worried them, huh?”

Axel looked at him in a way that was surprisingly unreadable. “Not only them.”

For some reason, Lynus felt speechless as he looked into Axel’s eyes. He still felt a slight sense of guilt, but from gazing into Axel’s eyes, he reasoned that it wasn’t as though Axel was trying to make him feel guilty. He was trying to do something else. What that was, Lynus wasn’t entirely sure.

“Fucking flowers!”

Startled, Lynus reeled his head back and whipped around to face the direction of the new voice, a tone that was highly agitated. Not only that, but highly pissed off.

Axel turned to the voice as well, noting that it was coming from the slightly older explorer stalking his way through the tables and chairs. It was hard to tell what his class was as he looked dishevelled and haggard. “Tone it down,” he said, eyeing the man off with a piercing gaze.

The man whipped around to face him, his nostrils flaring with anger and his eyes practically bugging out of his head. “You’d be cussing up a storm if what happened to me, happened to you!”

Again, Axel simply rose an eyebrow in mild interest. “A little misadventure in the labyrinth?”

“Misadventure my ass!”

“What happened?” Lynus asked gently, and with slight concern.

Marching toward the bar and demanding a strong drink, the male explorer slammed his fists on the bench. “We were in the second stratum, just movingly along swimmingly,” he began to explain. “Nothing happening. Monsters? No big deal. Suddenly we were ambushed and almost slaughtered. Not by a FOE. Not even by a hoard of monsters. Do you know what nearly wiped us out?” He paused for a dramatic effect as he skulled his beer. He slammed the now empty glass down, his irritation not faltering in the slightly.

“A flower!” he bellowed, flailing his arms around. “A couple of fucking flowers! A pink tulip looking thing! Those little bastards just came out of nowhere, fucking ambushed us!”

Lynus blinked. “Flowers?”

“A Fangleaf?” Axel asked.

“No. Just a pretty little flower. So pink and oh-so fucking adorable! I’m so pissed off! Screw this shit!”

Throwing his arms into the air, he spun on his heel and, still cursing incoherently, he stormed out of the bar, leaving a mildly stunned audience in his wake.

“I’ve never seen a flower monster,” Macerio commented, breaking the silence.

Lynus didn’t know much about the kinds of creatures that could be found within the labyrinth, so he wasn’t of much help. “Maybe it was a monster that could only seen at a certain time of day or night,” he suggested.

“Probably,” Axel shrugged, his brow furrowed slightly as he tried to rack his brain of any other possible monstrous candidates. After a moment of thought he ended up shrugging again, turning to give Lynus his full attention. “I’m sure what he’s saying is true, though.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, no one would be boasting about this,” Axel answered with a slight grin.

Lynus laughed lightly. “That’s true.”

“Oh, he’s just having a good ol’ whinge,” Cass said, completely undisturbed by the whole event. “Happens all the time. You’ll see, he’ll be back in the Labyrinth tomorrow.”

“Anyway, come on,” Axel said as he wrapped his arms around Lynus’ shoulders. “Matron is insistent that you have lunch at the inn.”

“To fatten me up, no doubt,” Lynus quipped with a small grin.

“She calls it ‘regaining your strength’,” Axel, in turn, retorted.

“Ok,” Lynus said around a laugh. He turned back to the bar, intent on clearing up the small mess he had made. “Let me dispose of this poison first.”

“I’ll be happy to take care of it,” Cass suggested, helpfully.

But Lynus felt a cool drop of sweat slip down the side of his face. “Er…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The character that had that little ol’ rant about flowers. That happened to me. I was playing EOI again for old time’s sake when I was killed off by a couple of Petaloids on the 22th floor. Yeah, the FOEs were no problem. I was levelled well into my 60s. But a couple of god damn flowers, and their god damn sleep attacks, killed me off. I was furious, as you can imagine.


	28. Chapter 28

Pushing their way through the crowds as they made their way back to the Inn, Axel clasped Lynus’ hand in his, pulling him against his side. Subconsciously, Lynus squeezed Axel’s hand while he touched his arm with the other. He wasn’t the one for large crowds (despite working in the hospital) so Axel’s presence was reassuring.

“Ah, Mr Lynus!”

Pausing in front of the Sitoth Trading, Lynus turned and waited for Abigail as she toddled out of her father’s shop and approached him. “How are you feeling?” she asked him, her concern prevalent.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Lynus replied automatically, like he had done several times already throughout the day. Moring, actually.

“Papa and I heard what happened at the hospital yesterday,” Abigail explained, her usually cheerful (and somewhat airy) expression replaced with distress. “We were so worried.”

Lynus unconsciously tightened his hold on Axel’s hand, not that comfortable with the attention he had been receiving. “Ah…Oh, sorry for making you worry,” he said as he smiled reassuringly. “But the Shard Mace you and your father made for me was very useful. So, it was actually thanks to your father’s skills.”

Abigail giggled, returning to her sunny self. “Papa will be happy to hear that. But you take care of yourself now, ok?”

“I will,” Lynus replied, taking his cue to leave. “Thank you.”

He gave the adorable young lady a small wave as Axel silently nodded in her direction. They then continued their journey, Lynus inwardly hoping that he didn’t bump into anyone else he knew. It just felt so strange being the centre of everyone’s concern.

“Lynus!” Binah greeted as she skipped over to him, giving him her customary hug the moment he stepped inside the hotel lobby.

Reluctantly letting go of Axel’s hand, Lynus gently patted Binah on top of her, something that was also quite habitual. “Hello Binah,” he said as he straightened one of her bows. He looked behind her, smiling at the other pink-haired girl who was Binah’s constant companion. “Hello Becky.”

“H-hello,” Becky replied in her usually timid way. “Are you feeling better? You didn’t eat much at breakfast.”

“Oh, I’m fine. Really,” Lynus found himself saying yet again. “Sorry for making you two worry.”

Hopping away from Lynus, Binah turned her attention to Axel, pointing an authoritative finger at him. “Make sure he takes it easy, kay, Axel?” she practically ordered in her most commanding voice.

“You got it,” Axel replied quickly, prompting the young Troubadour to smile brightly up at him.

“Mama!” Becky said as she pattered toward the kitchen. “Lynus is back.”

A mere moment later, Matron appeared, the large motherly woman smiling brightly. “Oh, good,” she said, sounding quite pleased.

“Lunch is about to be served,” Binah said as she bounded happily toward Matron.

“We helped,” Becky explained, her mother nodding her head, while looking undeniably proud.

Lynus smiled. “Did you have fun?”

“Yep!” Binah grinned her cheery smile.

“Well,” Lynus chuckled. “I’ll just wait in the dining hall, then.”

“Oh no, sweetie,” Matron interrupted him as he turned to leave. “We have a special lunch made for you.”

Lynus turned to look at the inn-keeper, silent surprise on his face. “For me?”

“Of course!” Matron beamed. “Everyone has heard of your bravery.”

Lynus felt uneasy and flustered. “I wouldn't exactly call it brave...” he muttered.

“You wouldn't,” Matron retorted with a light chortled, sounding as if she had expected such a response. “But everyone else does.”

Lynus chewed lightly on his bottom lip. He didn’t consider himself brave by any means. He did what needed to be done. Patients and his fellow healers were in danger. Axel and all the other explorers who offered their aide, running headlong into an unknown situation – they were the heroes. They were the ones that were brave.

Not him. The only thing he really did was to alert those who could help, while getting poisoned during the process. Nothing more.

“Why doesn't Axel join you?” Matron suddenly suggested, pulling Lynus from his musings. “Just the two of you having lunch would be a nice change of pace, hmm?”

Lynus blinked before slowly nodding his head. It did sound nice, to be honest. Maybe that way he could momentarily hide from all the concern that was wasted on him. “Ah, yes, I guess so,” he said before turning to look at Axel, gauging to see if it was alright with him. He had been standing silently in the background the entire time.

Axel looked at him before smiling. “Sure,” he said.

Matron released a boisterous chortle. “This way,” she said as she turned in the opposite direction of the dining hall, leading the two of them into a more private setting. They soon reached a set of doors, of which lead to a small, but cosy, room.

The food had already been laid out beautifully on the single round table with two chairs. It was situated in front of an open bay window, allowing a soothing breeze to flitter in, making the curtains flutter gently. The view from the window overlooked a charmingly manicured garden, the scent of flowers drifting on the winds.

Lynus was slightly taken aback by the sight, noticing immediately by how carefully and meticulously everything was planned. He wasn’t really expecting something so…thoughtful.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate in asking!” Matron said, once again startling Lynus from his thoughts.

“Oh, ah, thank you,” Lynus found himself stuttering, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the generosity.

Matron smiled and turned to the two pink-haired girls who had inevitably followed. “Let’s go, girls.”

“Enjoy your meals,” Becky wished them warmly, bowing slightly.

“Later, Lynus!” Binah grinned, waving joyously at him.

Scurrying out of the room, they shut the doors behind them, leaving Lynus and Axel alone. Despite that, though, Lynus felt somewhat on edge. As ridiculous as it was, he felt as if he should be expecting something to happen. What that something was, he had no idea.

Almost as if on cue, a gentle melody began to play. It wasn’t loud, so it wasn’t coming from somewhere inside the room. It was quite soft, tender really.

But where was it coming from?

“Is that music?” Axel was the one to ask as he shrugged off his armour, removing it to become more comfortable.

“It’s coming from outside,” Lynus said as he walked over to the window. He looked out at the gardens, but was unable to see anyone. He soon realised that the music was coming from above. Turning so he could lean backwards out of the window slightly, he looked up, noting that the room above seemed to have the windows open.

“Lirit?” Lynus tested. The music sounded somewhat familiar.

Immediately the music stopped and not a second later a familiar teen with hair as orange as Lynus’ was peered down, his hair curtaining around his face. “Oh, Lynus?” Lirit said, looking both surprised and modest. “Sorry, is the music bothering you?”

“No, not at all,” Lynus immediately reassured, smiling as he did so. “It's very beautiful.”

Lirit returned the smile. “Is it alright if I keep playing?”

Lynus nodded his head. “Sure.”

Shifting back inside, the music, as gentle and loving as before, started back up. It was quite a beautiful song. Thinking back, Lynus never really had the chance to listen to Lirit’s music. He was very good.

“You can relax now,” Axel unexpectedly stated.

Lynus blinked and glanced toward Axel, noticing that he had removed his cumbersome armour. He had a hand on his hip, a rather knowing expression on his face.

“…Am I that obvious?” Lynus asked, both embarrassed but grateful for Axel for being so observant nonetheless.

“A little,” Axel said with a smile, walking over to him.

“All this attention,” Lynus murmured as he leaned against the window sill, fidgeting with hem of his shirt. “It's a little embarrassing, to be honest.”

“It doesn't hurt to be fussed over once in a while,” Axel said, more as a statement of fact than a comment.

Lynus shrugged, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “Maybe.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing,” Lynus said dismissively as he looked away, finding Axel’s gaze a little too…attentive right now. For whatever reason.

However, Axel slipped a hand under Lynus’ chin and gently, but also firmly, turning his face toward him once again. “Don’t hide anything from me,” he said, his eyes looking unashamedly into Lynus’.

“Sorry,” Lynus automatically replied, the tension he had no idea he was hiding in his shoulders, promptly relaxing. He took a hold of Axel’s hand, wrapping his slender fingers around his wrist. “It’s just…”

With a sigh, Lynus managed to remove Axel’s hold on his chin, but he kept his own grip on Axel’s hand. “This attention is making me feel uneasy,” he finally admitted. “I mean, I’m used to keeping a low profile. Do what is expected and then take a step backwards, disappearing into the shadows. Being the centre of attention was a bad thing.”

Axel looked at him with empathy in his eyes. “You don’t have to hide anymore,” he said as he entwined his fingers with Lynus’.

“I know,” Lynus said as he uttered another sigh. “I can’t just…”

It was hard.

“You don’t have to be completely open to everyone,” Axel stated as he tenderly pulled Lynus away from the window. “And I am not expecting you to simply forget everything that had happened to you. But you don’t have to hide from me. I want to know everything about you. I want to make it up to you for those eight years.”

Lynus felt honoured to hear those words. But he also felt apprehensive. He was becoming more and more dependent on Axel. He knew he was. But what had he offered Axel in return? He couldn’t bear the thought of being a burden to him.

“You've already done so much for me,” Lynus said softly, smiling sadly as he tried to disentangle his hold on Axel’s hand. “But I haven't-"

“Yes you have,” Axel said, interrupting him swiftly, tightening their joined hands.

“What?” Lynus uttered in surprise before shaking his head. “What have I-?”

“You're here,” Axel once again interrupted him, a very light sense of desperation in his voice. “That's enough.”

A strange feeling of…happiness abruptly appeared within Lynus’ chest and he felt oddly giddy. And, for some unknown reason, he felt his eyes become somewhat misty. “Is it?” he said, trying to push down that lump of emotion that had unexpectedly lodged in his throat.

The soft music that Lirit was playing wasn’t helping.

“Yeah,” Axel smiled, his head quirked just so to the side, his eyes warm and adoring. “You've been through so much and you're very good at looking after everyone else. You're good at a lot of things. But you're not good at taking care of yourself, are you?”

“I know how to look after myself,” Lynus said, unable to stop himself from pouting.

“There's a difference between looking after yourself and taking care of yourself,” Axel retorted, smiling nonetheless.

With Axel still holding his hand, carefully leading him over to the table and chairs, Lynus took a moment to mull over those words. Looking after oneself meant doing what was necessary to live. Eat right, sleep when needed and do what was expected. But…taking care of yourself was different, wasn’t it? To care for someone meant doing things to make them happy, to make them comfortable.

Had he ever done something just for himself? He didn’t have the slightest clue on how the answer that. The thought of it was simply too foreign for him to fully comprehend.

“…I guess there is,” he said softly as he lowered himself into a chair, feeling understandably bewildered by this truth.

“I want to take care of you,” Axel admitted as he slipped into the chair next to his, dragging it closer. “I like taking care of you. You don’t have to do things by yourself anymore. There are more than enough people willing to lend a hand.”

“I know, I know,” Lynus said. He wasn’t just saying that to agree. He was starting to understand it. The premises of it, at least. Still, he was nervous. How could he apply that knowledge to himself? He had never asked for help before.

“It just…hard, you know?” Lynus admitted with a shaky breath. “It won’t be easy.”

“It’ll be easier than you think,” Axel replied confidently, slipping his arm comfortably around Lynus’ shoulders.

Still feeling slightly startled, but not at all uneasy or uncomfortable, Lynus leaned toward Axel and rested his head against his shoulder, his crown brushing against Axel’s chin. “How in the world do you put up with me?” he murmured softly under his breath.

“It’s no hardship,” Axel said, lowering his chin a little so that his lips were brushing against Lynus’ hairline as he spoke. “You deserve it all. And you’ll be worth waiting for.”

Lynus grasped at the front of Axel’s shirt. Did he really deserve any of this? Was he worthy of Axel’s (or anyone else’s) attention and affection? After all the traumatic experiences that Lynus had been through, was he really worthy?

“Is this really ok?”

“Yeah.”

But…it would be wrong to tell them what to do, what to feel, wouldn’t it? Their feelings and affections were real. So, if they felt that he was worth their time, then maybe he was…

“Then…I’ll try my best,” Lynus finally relented, pressing his cheek against Axel’s shoulder as he nuzzled close to him.

Axel’s arms soon found their way around him again, as strong and reassuring as ever. “That’s all I’m asking.”

“Thank you.”

… … … … …

“Are they married yet?” Macerio couldn’t help asking, sounding surprisingly bitter.

“They won’t get married yet,” Binah answered tersely. She gave him a stern look, folding her arms resolutely over her chest. “That’ll come later.”

Macerio looked undeniably disturbed. “I suppose you’re going to make a Quest out of that, too?”

“Yep!”

Still playing his lute, Lirit glanced over to the brown-haired Gunner, offering him a softly sympathetic look. Macerio had been dragged upstairs, not wanting to struggle against the pink-haired Troubadour with Matron so close by. Binah had scurried upstairs the moment Lynus and Axel were escorted to their private room.

Lirit was the only one near the window at this point. He couldn’t see what was happening in the room below, but he was certain everything was working out just fine between them. Between the lulls of his music, he was able to make out a few words. Troubadour’s have impeccable hearing, after all.

And from what he could hear, Lynus was silently suffering. The attention he had been receiving during the day was making him feel uneasy and uncomfortable. No surprise, really, considering what he had to live through.

Lirit may not have known Lynus as long as Rahas or Binah, but he cared for the loving Medic. They were complete strangers when they met, but he immediately took him under his wing, helping him, guiding him. Even protecting him.

Binah was able to pick up on Lynus’ silent distress as well. Lynus kept his fear and emotions hidden behind a reassuring smile and an empathetic ear. He was caring and gentle. He was there to lend a shoulder to anyone who needed support and reassurance.

But…what about him? Who could heal a healer?

Was that why Rahas seemed so…tense around him? Rahas wanted to become stronger in order to protect him. But he wasn’t able to help him the way that Lynus had aided him during all those years. That was why he was always so frustrated.

The only person who could really get through to Lynus had to be Axel. He wasn’t there during those eight years Lynus was held captive, but that was a good thing. He wasn’t a reminder of those dark times. He was the present, the future. He may not fully understand the pain and suffering Lynus had to have gone through, but he was the security. Those days were sure to never happen again.

“I still can’t believe it…” Macerio was heard muttering as he leaned against the wall next to the window, where Lirit was sitting on the sill, playing his lute. “You even got Matron pushing the two together.”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Binah said. “She would know Soul-Mates when she sees them.”

Macerio didn’t know how to really respond to that. “So…she’s a fan, then?”

“Yep!” Binah agreed, sticking her tongue out at him. “Who isn’t?”

“My cousin, actually,” Macerio answered, tapping his chin in thought.

“Ah, well, no one really cares about her,” Binah unexpectedly said, sounding dismissive.

“Hah, touché,” Macerio replied, grinning as he did so.

Lirit smiled as he continued to play his song. Coming to Lagaard was a wise choice. Everything, with time, was going to be ok.

Everyone was going to be ok.


	29. Chapter 29

Something was wrong.

There was a strange sense of tension hanging in the air, ever since Axel and his guild returned from visiting Minister Dubois. They had left early that morning, straight after breakfast and returned an hour or so later. They entered the Inn silently, lost in their thoughts, their expressions unnervingly stoic.

Lynus lingered in the doorway of his room he shared with Axel. Axel was kitted up in his armour, his axe, as shiny and sharp as always, standing up against the bed next to him. He was currently sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands folded under his chin as he stared at the vacant air in front of him in thought.

What was going on?

Subconsciously hunching his shoulders in trepidation, Lynus entered the room and slowly approached his red-haired friend. “Axel?”

“We have a mission from Minister Dubois,” Axel immediately answered his unasked question.

Lynus’ breath hitched in his throat…A mission? Not a quest, but a mission. Missions were notoriously more dangerous.

“A mission, huh?” Lynus murmured meekly, that ever familiar feeling of fear beginning to build within his chest. “A dangerous one?”

A sigh passed Axel’s lips as he heaved himself to stand up tall. “It could be,” he admitted as he grabbed the handle of his axe, effortlessly hoisting it onto his back.

“I see…” Lynus didn’t know what else to say. The way Axel was acting, how serious he appeared, it was all rather unnerving. He didn’t like it.

Axel stepped in front of Lynus, so close, practically chest to chest. “Lynus.”

Lynus lifted his gaze to look upon Axel’s face when he felt him wrap an arm around his waist. He figured that Axel was simply going to give him a comforting hug, reassuring him that everything was going to be fine. He opened his mouth in order to say something, but whatever he was going to say immediately disappeared when Axel unexpectedly lowered his head, pressing their lips together gently.

For a moment, Lynus was startled. His surprise didn’t last long, though, as he soon found himself responding, reaching out to touch Axel as his eyes slipped close. He grasped at Axel’s shoulders as Axel wrapped his arms around him tightly. It didn’t bother him that Axel, his best friend from childhood whom he had only been reunited with not too long ago, was kissing him.

It wasn’t at all bad. In fact it felt good. Natural. Like it had been a long time coming.

Slowly, Axel pulled away and Lynus sucked in a sharp breath, his features heating up gently with a flush. “A-Axel?”

“I’ll come back,” Axel told him, looking him straight in the eyes as he pressed their foreheads together. “I promise.”

Don’t go, Lynus desperately wanted to say. He didn’t want Axel to go. It was too dangerous. Leave it to someone else.

But he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t say those words, could he? Minister Dubois entrusted Axel and his guild with the mission. Only they could complete it. And Axel was strong. His power and strength would be needed. It would be selfish of Lynus to ask him not to go.

“Axel,” Hamza’s voice suddenly drifted in. “We must leave now.”

“Alright,” Axel said as he reluctantly released his hold on Lynus.

Lynus shook his head and grabbed onto Axel’s arm. “Be careful!” he said, almost desperately.

“I’ll see ya later, Lynus,” Axel said as he tried to smile.

Then, with one last lingering touch, he pulled away from Lynus completely and moved to stand beside Hamza, Jhon, Tobyn and Shen also lingering in the background. Wordlessly, the five experienced warriors began to move, their postures tense and their strides determined.

Lynus felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and dread wash over him as he watched them disappear from his sight. He suddenly felt weak, drained of energy. He stumbled to sit on the bed Axel had been sitting on. While his body felt oddly numb, his mind was reeling.

He couldn’t help imagining the worst case scenario. His heart was beating little ‘what ifs’ so loudly that it was deafening. The more he thought about it, the worse his anxiety became. He was steady moving toward the verge of a total panic breakdown.

Busy.

He had to keep himself busy. He couldn’t sit here, in this room he shared with Axel, all day.

But…working at the hospital might be too much. With each patient to arrive, he would hope and pray that that person wasn’t Axel.

However, there was no chance he was going to wait around at the Inn, sitting around and thinking. His thoughts were dangerous enough to him as it was. He was already anxious enough.

Taking a deep breath, Lynus scolded himself for being silly. This was Axel he was talking about. He was strong, talented and very experienced. So were those with him. They wouldn’t do anything foolish. They would know if they were outmatched and in any possible danger.

They’ll be fine.

Gathering his wits, Lynus stood up and subconsciously straightened his coat. He took a few moments to fiddle around with his bag, resting it on top of the table, sitting it next to his Shard Mace. He took a moment to remember how he wielded it while fending off Vemonflies. But he knew that whatever Axel was facing, was vastly stronger than some butterfly.

There was still this feeling of wanting to be of some help.

Digging around in his bag, making sure everything was in order, Lynus found something that was out of the norm. Oh, a Warp Wire. Tobyn had given it to him to hold and keep when he ventured into the Labyrinth for the first time. They didn’t need it, thankfully, so it stayed hidden in his bag.

He hoped that they had bought another before heading into the Labyrinth. And Medica. And Nectars. And…

Ok, this wasn’t helping.

Argh! Axel and the others had only just left and his nerves were already starting to fray. They could be hours yet. What was he going to do during that time?

The only thing he could really do was to go to the hospital and wait, hoping and praying that neither Axel nor any of his guild-mates get stretchered in on a bed with a Code Blue.

Pushing his bag aside, Lynus left the room, shutting the door tightly behind him. He would check up on the others, especially Magnus as he wasn’t a member of the party chosen and would no doubt be feeling as skittish as he was. After ensuring everyone else was fine, he would go to the hospital.

And wait.

 

… … … … …

Typical.

On a day that Lynus really needed to keep himself busy, the hospital had a surprising absence of patients. He could busy himself by doing some paper work or offering some assistance to the guards who had been sent to rebuild some of the rooms, but there was only so much he could do.

The only thing he was any good at was healing.

“Is something the matter, Lynus?”

Lynus jumped slightly, startled by the suddenness of Dr Stiles appearing directly behind him. He spun around to face the head doctor, finding him smiling at him.

“You seem a little vague today,” Dr Stiles went on to say.

“O-oh, I’m sorry,” Lynus automatically said. “I was just…” he trailed off, not entirely sure what else to say. He was being silly, surely.

“It’s rather quiet now,” Dr Stiles said as he continued to smile, placing his hand on Lynus’ shoulder in a rather comforting way. “Why don’t we sit down and have something to drink? A cup of tea would be nice about now. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, I guess so,” Lynus replied as he allowed the other man to lead him toward the break room. He was forced to sit down in a chair as Dr Stiles went over and brewed a couple cups of soothing tea.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Dr Stiles asked as he placed the cup of tea in front of Lynus and slid into the seat next to him.

Lynus sat silently for a moment as he wrapped his hands around the teacup. “…I’m just realising a few things.”

Dr Stiles nodded his head knowingly. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“…Do many Medics enter the Labyrinth?” Lynus asked as he peeked up to look at the talented doctor.

“A frontline Medic is quite rare, but not unheard of,” Dr Stiles answered easily, lifting his tea to his lips to take a slow sip. “Why do you ask?”

“I guess I’m just worrying about Axel,” Lynus admitted, shrugging rather skittishly and smiling weakly. “He’s a capable explorer, I know that, but…I don’t know what I would do if anything should happen to him.”

Axel was his only thought during his nightmare as a hostage. Dreams of him and believing that they would one day meet again were the only things that kept him going. If something should happen to him now...

He wouldn't be able to deal with it.

Surprisingly, Dr Stiles chuckled. “A lot of people don't understand this, but there is a lot more to being a medic than healing. Sometimes it's not even about the spells used, or even the tools. It's about the Medic's intention. About his heart. The power of healing is so much stronger when it comes from the heart.”

Lynus nodded his head slowly, understanding what Dr Stiles was saying. It made sense, really. Whenever Lynus was forced to heal Taksony, it was agonizing for him to do so. His hands would hurt. He also felt resentful. Like, his healing abilities were being wasted.

But whenever he healed others, be them the other captives or explorers he had met in Lagaard, it wasn’t at all painful. His hands felt warm, tingly. And it was because he wanted to help them. They genuinely needed healing assistance. And they were grateful to receive such aide.

“You have a good heart, Lynus,” Dr Stiles said as he placed a hand on Lynus’ shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts. “You are a very talented healer, and I don’t say such things lightly.”

Lynus was momentarily rendered speechless as he openly stared at the doctor sitting next to him. “T-thank you,” he finally managed to stutter, not knowing what else to say.

Again, Dr Stiles chuckled as he gave Lynus’ shoulder a light squeeze. “I must admit that I am beginning to feel that you are too good for this hospital.”

“Huh?”

“Talents like yours would be more fulfilling elsewhere,” Dr Stiles said as he removed his hand from Lynus’ shoulder and picked up his cup of tea. He brought it to his lips once more, peering at Lynus from the corner of his eye. “Like the Labyrinth, for instance.”

Lynus blinked, feeling somewhat bewildered. However, the true meanings to his words began to sink in and he managed a small smile. “Are you giving me a subtle push?”

“I am,” Dr Stiles said as he finished his tea, standing up from his seat to make his way over to the sink. He continued to speak as he busied himself by washing up. “I don’t like to see such talent wasted. The Guardians could do with a man like you. It’s not selfish of you for wanting to focus your healing on one guild. It’s what you want to do. That is where your true strength lies. Also, the Guardians are moving further and further into the Labyrinth. Many unknown dangerous await them. And they are rather well liked by those of us who reside here. Many people would be upset should anything happen to them.”

Lynus sat silently, allowing the other man to simply talk, to say what he wanted to say, what was needed to be said. He knew what Dr Stiles was trying to get across. He needed to do something he truly wanted for once. Being with Axel. Being the Guardians’ personal medic.

That was what he really wanted to do. That was where his personal power was held.

“There is something better waiting for you,” Dr Stiles continued to simply talk. “Do what you know is right for you.”

“I understand,” Lynus said as he stood up from his seat. “I will do whatever it takes to keep them alive.”

Dr Stiles peered up at him from the corner of his eye. “Even staying alive yourself?”

“Yes,” Lynus replied firmly. He would do whatever it took to stay alive as well. If something happened to him, who would ensure the safety of Axel and the Guardians Guild?

“Excuse me; I have a guild I need to take care of.”

“Good luck,” Dr Stiles said as he smiled at him.

“Thank you,” Lynus said as he bowed slightly in gratitude. “For everything.”

Turning on his heel, Lynus hastily made his way out of the hospital and to the Inn. He wasn’t entirely sure what he would do next, if anything at all, but he needed to be with those who had been left behind. They would be feeling as anxious as he was.

He reached the Inn in record time and immediately made his way to the tea room. Inside, where they’ve been sitting gloomily since that morning, were Magnus, Macerio and Chi-hung. Magnus was sitting by the window, leaning against the window sill as he gazed outside, keeping a watchful eye on the road that lead out of town. Macerio was sitting backwards in a wooden chair, his arms folded over the back, his chin resting on his arms as he look blankly in front of him. And next to him, curled up on the floor, was Chi-hung, his tail flicking with a sense of annoyance.

“Magnus?” Lynus said as he approached the blond-haired Alchemist.

Immediately, Magnus stiffened, startled by the sudden calling of his name. He tore his gaze away from the outside world to look at Lynus. “Ah? Oh, L-Lynus?”

Lynus offered him a small smile and sat next to him. “…They’re still not back yet?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Magnus looked away and shook his head, training his gaze upon the road out of town once more.

“I see,” Lynus simply uttered as he fell silent.

Sitting in the silence, accompanied by those who knew what he was feeling Lynus was able to mull over the events of what had transpired that morning. And, oddly enough, he felt a small smile tug at his lips. The fear of what dangers Axel and the others could very well be facing made him momentarily forget that he and Axel had actually kissed that morning. It wasn’t like it was a forgettable moment.

It most certainly wasn’t. In fact, it was something he wanted to experience again.

It…It better happen again!

But everything happened for a reason, right? Maybe…There could be a silver lining to all of this. Maybe it was time for him to let go of the regret, pain and resentment he still silently held in regards to the past eight years. He needed to move on. He needed to embrace these opportunities to grow, to find his own sense of happiness.

Right. It was time for him to make a stand.

Axel had given him his first kiss. And, dammit, it wasn’t going to be his last!

Lynus took a deep breath. “I…I want to go,” he said, his voice soft, yet so loud in the uneasy silence.

Macerio snapped his head up and stared at him, disbelief and bewilderment in his gaze. “Into the Labyrinth?”

“Yes,” Lynus said, this time more firmly. “I want to be there. If any of them are hurt, I want to be able to help them straight away.”

Macerio blinked at him before slowly nodding his head in understanding and agreement. “…Yeah,” he said slowly. “I hate this waiting around.”

Next to Lynus, Magnus moved away from the window. “…I want to go, too,” he admitted.

“Why don’t we?” Macerio stated as he stood up from his chair, Chi-hung also perking up. “We could help as well!”

“It’s going to be dangerous,” Magnus commented. It didn’t sound like he was reluctant, but simply stating a potential challenge.

“Not really,” Macerio said as he grinned, becoming more and more eager and determined. “We can go straight to the floor thanks to the Geomagnetic Pole!”

“T-that’s right,” Magnus replied, sounding hopeful. “We activated that yesterday.”

“There’s four of us,” Macerio said eagerly. He looked down at Chi-hung, the white tiger standing on all fours, his tail flicking eagerly. A sharp and resolute nod of Chi-hung’s head bolstered Macerio’s enthusiasm. “Enough to make a team. Let’s go!”

Right. Decision had been made. There was no room for overanalysing the ‘what ifs’ any more.

“Ok,” Lynus said as he stood up. “Let’s get ready.”

He had only been to the first floor of the Labyrinth previously, but that didn’t matter. Whatever challenges they came across, they would deal with. He was a medic, a healer. If anyone got hurt, he would heal them.

The four of them temporary parted as they went to gather the things that were essential to them. For Lynus, it was his bag that was filled with life-saving medicines. And his weapon, the Shard Mace, to temporary push aside anything that came too close.

Attaching the staff to his bag, Lynus heaved the strap onto his shoulder. But as he turned to leave, a surprising figure in the doorway caused him to pause. “Rahas?”

Frowning, Rahas noticed his bag and weapon. “Where are you going?” he asked, eyeing him off critically.

“Oh, I…” Lynus took a moment to assess the situation. Should he tell him the truth or offer a small white lie in hopes that he doesn’t become concerned? “We’re going into the Labyrinth,” he ended up admitting, not wanting to lie to him.

Rahas reeled his head back in surprise. “What?”

Lynus decided that he didn’t have the time to explain himself. He shouldn’t have to. He wanted to go. He needed to go. He had to make sure that everyone was all right. It was time for him to get to work.

Rahas stared at him silently, a mild look of surprise still lingering on his face. However, after a moment, he straightened his posture, becoming determined himself. “Well then, I’m going, too.”

Lynus was somewhat surprised by that. “Rahas-”

“Someone needs to protect you,” Rahas said firmly, almost if daring him to tell him no, it wasn’t going to happen.

Lynus though back to their…previous confrontation and decided that he wouldn’t be able to talk him out of it. Rahas was still searching for a reason to become stronger. He had been so lost since their arrival. And, to be honest, perhaps he was right. “…Ok.”

“Lynus! Come on!”

“Coming!” Lynus called back, racing out of the room with Rahas right behind him.

Wordlessly, the five of them gathered in the lobby, taking a quick moment to ensure they have everything they need before racing off.

All they could do as they raced toward the towering Yggdrasil Labyrinth was hope and pray that they weren’t too late.


	30. Chapter 30

Lynus instantly felt a nauseating sense of light-headedness when he stepped from the swirling column of orange light. He also felt slightly disorientated. So, that was a Geomagnetic Pole, huh? It certainly was a…experience, for a lack of a better word.

Macerio turned to him, giving him a slightly wary smile. “You don’t really get used to it,” he said, looking rather dishevelled himself.

Taking a moment to gather his wits, Lynus glanced around. He was mildly surprised by how different this floor was in comparison of the first. They were standing in a vast hall, almost daunting, room like area. The leaves were golden and brown, like the season of autumn.

“This is the Second Stratum?” Lynus muttered, looking around in a slight sense of awe.

“Over there,” Magnus pointed toward a set of doors seen far off in the distance. “I think they’re behind those doors.”

“So,” Macerio muttered, his demeanour unnervingly serious as he drew out his weapons. “The Hellion is there.”

“The Hellion?” Lynus didn’t like the sound of that at all. “Is that the name of the monster they’ve been sent to destroy?”

“Yeah, I don’t know all the details,” Macerio admitted, frowning. “All I know that it’s been attacking explorers, making it dangerous to explore the Labyrinth.”

“Enough,” Rahas said as he cracked his whip, getting himself prepared. “Get yourselves ready. Stay behind me, Lynus.”

Lynus took a deep breath to settle his nerves. “Ok.”

Magnus gently nudged him. “…Let’s go.”

Lynus turned to look at Magnus and saw fear in his eyes. He was worried by what they could possibly encounter, that they may be too late. But there was also determination in his gaze. His resolve was strong, unflinching. They came this far. There was no turning back.

“Right,” Lynus nodded, his own resolve strengthening.

Without another word, the five mismatched explorers broke out into a sprint, heading for the ominous doors.

Throwing them open, they were immediately assaulted by the sounds of monstrous roars, spoken attacks and desperate clanging of metal. A colossal battle was raging, and had been for some time if one took in the damaged walls and earth into consideration. In the middle of this carnage was a hideous creature, orange, yellow and red in colour. It looked almost piggish in appearance, to be perfectly honestly.

But none of that mattered to Lynus. For the first thing he saw was Axel lifting his shield in order to block he was unable to avoid, only to take the full force of the hit and thrown back a few feet, hitting the ground hard. He landed on his side, his back toward Lynus, his axe tumbling from his grip.

And he didn’t move.

Lynus almost stopped breathing. But he quickly found his voice a split second later as he pushed himself forward, completely ignoring any possible danger in his need to simply get to Axel.

“Axel!” Lynus cried as he skidded to a halt, immediately kneeling down next to Axel. He placed his hands on him and forced him to roll on his back. The moment he did, Lynus saw the large tear in his armour and smelt the sicking scent of blood.

As Lynus placed his hands on his side, inspecting his injury, Axel began to stir, his brow furrowing as he uttered a noise of discomfort. He muttered something incoherent under his breath before hissing.

Blinking his eyes open, Axel looked dazed and confused. He squinted his eyes, appearing as if he didn’t believe what he was seeing. “Lynus…?” he said before his eyes suddenly became wide and he tried to sit up abruptly. The expression of blatant shock and fear on his face. “What the hell are you-?!”

“Keep still,” Lynus practically barked his order, somewhat relieved by Axel’s reaction. But he was still highly concerned. It would take him a few moments in order to ensure the skin etched together fully, without complication. “Your wound is deep.”

But Axel continued to struggle. “You shouldn’t be-!” he began to say; only to abruptly cut himself off by snapping his head up, his eyes widening. Lynus glanced in the direction he was looking in and felt himself become still.

A few feet away, ambling toward them rather menacingly was that strange orange and golden monster. Puffs of steam wafted from its nose, its mouth twisted into a truly sadistic look. It was completely animalistic, yet it was also oddly human.

It must be the Hellion…

“Freeze!” As Axel attempted to grab Lynus and make a hasty retreat, Magnus appeared directly in front of them, his hands held out in front of him. A wall of ice suddenly sprung up from the ground in front of the monster, making it reel back in surprise and pain.

“Magnus?” Axel stuttered.

As the Hellion stumbled backwards, taken completely off-guard another figure abruptly appeared, darting to the side. A whip crack was heard.

“Shackles!” Rahas shouted as he attacked the monster’s legs, making it trip over and falling to the ground with a deafening crash. With a sly smirk of victory, Rahas quickly retreated, only for Macerio to move to the forefront. “That should keep the bastard still. Your turn.”

Macerio skidded to a halt in front of the Hellion’s face, aiming his gun directly into its open mouth. “Eat this, asshole! Iceshot!”

Letting lose a few elemental attacks, Macerio sprung back before the Hellion had a chance to retaliate. He then made his way over to Hamza, whom of which was kneeling on the ground in a defensive position, Chi-hung not far from his side.

“What are you doing here?” Hamza immediately demanded, completely surprised by the sudden intrusion of his other guild-members.

“Here to help, obviously,” Macerio immediately retorted. “We’re warriors, too. Don’t think you can just leave us behind.”

Hamza was silent for a moment. His eyes were narrowed in a seemingly disapproving way. Yet, a small smile made its way onto his lips and he pushed himself to stand upon his feet. “Fools,” he said, quite fondly.

Wasting no time, Axel wrapped his arms around Lynus and leapt to his feet. Lynus wound his arms around Axel’s neck, letting him carry him to safety, while still offering a sense of healing with his Cure spells.

“Are you ok?” Lynus asked when they came to a stop, patting Axel down just in case he missed any previous sustained injury. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“What are you doing here?” Axel demanded as he took Lynus by the shoulders, his face a whirlwind of different emotions; surprise, fear, anger, relief. “It’s too dangerous!”

“I don’t care!” Lynus retorted, grabbing the front of Axel’s shirt in a desperate grip. He looked up at him with pleading eyes, the sight of him hitting the ground after being attacked and not moving making his already frayed nerves worse. “I need to make sure that you live.”

Axel was stunned into silence, his eyes widening. However, they soon softened with understanding. “I waited eight years for us to meet up again,” he said as he pulled him into a hug, threading his fingers through Lynus’ hair. “Do you really think I would lie down and die now?”

“I want to make sure,” Lynus replied as he swallowed down the sudden and unexpected urge to cry, clutching onto him urgently. “You’re not allowed to leave me behind.”

“I’m afraid further explanations will have to wait,” Hamza voice abruptly rose, gaining everyone’s attention as they momentarily fell back to regather themselves and reassess the situation.

Pulling away from each other, but still close, Axel and Lynus joined up with the others. They gathered around in a small circle, weapons raised as the Hellion began to collect itself, seemingly more irritated than before.

Clearly, the battle was far from over.

“Lynus, you stay at the back,” Hamza went on to order. “If anyone is hurt, they’ll come to you.”

“But-”

“You’re our only healer strong enough,” Hamza swiftly cut him off in a way that left absolutely no room for argument. “We cannot afford to let anything happen to you.”

All Lynus could do was nod his head. He was right. That was all he could do. All he needed to do.

Keeping a firm grip on his medical bag and staff, Lynus lingered back as the others sprung forward to reengage in battle with the still very alive and treacherous Hellion. He wanted to tell them to be careful, but it was pointless. And it would only distract him. It would be best for everyone involved if he simply stayed silent, not draw any attention to himself, and healed whenever needed.

He was good at that.

It didn’t take long for the first member of the Guardians’ to misjudge an attack, taking a strike. It was surprising that the person was Tobyn, the guild’s agile speedster, though. What wasn’t surprising, however, was that Jhon was the first to react.

“Tobyn!”

While Chi-hung momentarily distracted the Hellion, Jhon scooped Tobyn off the ground, holding him effortlessly with one arm as he carried him away to safety, and to Lynus. Winded by the attack, Tobyn stumbled as Jhon placed him back on his feet, falling against Lynus.

Seeing that Tobyn was out of harm’s way, Jhon vaulted back into the fray.

Lynus immediately helped Tobyn to sit down and placed his hands over the injury site at his side. While his hands glowed green in healing warmth, he took a moment to inspect the wound. It was a flesh wound. A grazing cut. Tobyn dodged most of the attack, but wasn’t fast enough. It was painful and bloody, but not life-threatening as he would heal it immediately. He might leave a small scar in his haste, but the Survivalist surely won’t mind.

Finishing his spell, Lynus snapped his head up in time to hear Chi-hung release a yelp of pain. He looked up just in time to see the white-tiger skid across the ground, only to spring back onto his feet a second later. Still, the beast was injured.

“Done,” Lynus said simply, patting Tobyn on the shoulder, giving him the strength to re-enter the battle. Which he did, offering a slightly breathless thanks, before climbing to his feet and sprinting off.

With the Hellion’s attention diverted elsewhere, Lynus made his way over to Chi-hung. He knelt next to the white-tiger, taking no time in spotting the bleeding injury on his leg and uttering a Cure spell. Again, the wound was a graze. Still, had Lynus not been able to administer immediate treatment, it would only serve to impede Chi-hung’s movements, making him slower and weaker. And more acceptable to further attacks.

When he heard another grunt of pain, Lynus couldn’t help cursing. He had always known how dangerous the labyrinth was. But he had never seen it. It was fair more dangerous and deadly than he could ever imagine.

“Ok, done,” Lynus said simply, giving the white tiger a reassuring pat as well.

Looking up as he finished healing yet another explorer, Lynus immediately saw that the person who was hurt this time was Axel. He held onto his right arm with his left hand, his axe hanging idly in his right hand.

Although he cared for every single person here, his breathing would become just that little more strained, his heart beating that little bit quicker, whenever Axel was hurt. He’d seen him hurt once already. And that scared the crap out of him.

As Axel staggered away from the battle, keeping a watchful eye on the monster, Lynus ran over to him. Wordlessly, he grabbed his arm with both hands and concentrated in order to assess what damage had been done. The skin was broken, the bone with a hairline fracture. There was a quite a bit of blood. The Hellion must have been quite close to have done that…

No, he can’t let his mind wander. He had a job to do.

He needed to be the healing light to the others. He wasn’t a warrior, but that didn’t matter. They were. They had the skill and strength to battle. He was there to make sure that their bodies were able to keep up with their fighting spirits.

With Axel ensuring that they kept a safe distance from the Hellion, Lynus closed his eyes and set about healing the injury as best he could. The facture was a bit of a concern, but he should be able to heal it enough to guarantee that it won’t be a problem for Axel in the immediate future. And although the wound was bleeding quite a bit, Lynus was silently confident that he could etch the skin back together. It was a rather clean wound, surprisingly.

Thank goodness for minor miracles.

“Can we last much longer?” Lynus asked as he opened his eyes, still sending warm healing toward Axel’s arm.

“We’ll last as long as we have to,” Axel replied with a sense of determination and confidence. He then placed his hand on top of Lynus’, squeezing it as he looked at him with purpose and reassurance. “With you here, we’ll definitely win.”

With one last linger touch and gentle caress, Axel moved away from him. He readjusted his grip on his weapon and threw himself back into the battle.

Lynus watched him and hoped that he was right.

He was starting to feel a little overwhelmed, to be perfectly honest.

No, he didn’t have time to feel overwhelmed. He had to heal them. He couldn’t let himself be held back any longer.

But there were too many of them and it would take far too long for him to heal them one at a time. There had to be another way. There had to be a way for him to use his abilities to heal them all at once. It didn’t matter how much energy it took, there had to be a way.

Wait…there was. He remembered reading about it in one of his books. There was a spell. What was it called again? Come on, he knew it!

Salve! That was the name. There was Salve 1, 2 and 3. He could offer a small bit of healing to the others through the use of the spell Salve. It won’t be as powerful as one on one healing, but it should do. After they defeat the Hellion, then he could concentrate on them individually.

Dropping his bag to the ground, Lynus plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out the stone Axel had given him. He clutched the Amazonite stone to his chest, pleading for the crystal to help him.

If he was meant to do something amazing, then let it be now.

Pulling the Amazonite away from his chest, Lynus picked up his staff, gripping the handle with the hand that was holding the gemstone. It would help him to concentrate, to keep him ground. That was what he needed. He now understood Magnus’ need for earthing.

He silently counted the auras of everyone that was important to him. There were nine of them. Nine people he would heal. All at once.

It was like he instinctively knew what to do. With this, Axel and the others had the strength to do anything.

As the familiar warmth of his healing abilities slowly began to touch all those who need it, Axel and the others were momentarily surprised. Lynus, too, would have been surprised. But he was too busy to even think of anything else.

“Lynus?” Axel said in a mixture of confusion and surprise.

“That spell…?” Hamza utter, he too, somewhat startled. However, a look of realisation soon appeared on his face and he narrowed his eyes. He understood what was going on. “Jhon, Chi-hung, make sure Lynus stays protected at all costs,” he immediately commanded. “He’s using Salve; his healing energy is touching us all.”

“Understood,” Jhon immediately replied, wasting absolutely no time to position himself in front of Lynus, Chi-hung hastily doing the same.

“This battle has finally turned in our favour,” Hamza said, a rather victorious smirk gracing his lips.

“What should we do now?” Axel asked him, effortlessly flexing his axe in his grip. “This bastard is tougher than anyone first thought.”

“Yes, but so are we. Very well then, a change in strategy,” Hamza commented before taking a swift moment to calculate their situation. Then, he nodded his head resolutely. He had a plan in mind and wasted no time in letting everyone know what they had to do. “The Hellion’s weakness appears to be ice. Magnus, use your ice spells. Macerio, use Iceshot and Axel, use Freezer in tandem with them. Shen, Hyosetsu. Tobyn, Poisoner. That should work in the long run. And Rahas, continue to use Shackle. Trip it up as much as possible. Concentrate on your attacks. Lynus will ensure that we stay alive through this battle.”

Everyone shouted in response. “Right!”

Then they went straight to work.

Lynus tried to remain focused, but he also couldn’t help watching, trying to hold off any empathetic winces whenever someone wasn’t fast enough to dodge an attack from the increasingly frantic monster.

Rahas released a yell of surprise when the Hellion backhanded him unknowingly as he tried to readjust his Shackles on it.

“Rahas!” Macerio called out as he skidded over to him, his guns still locked and loaded, keeping one eye on the Hellion, the other on Rahas. “You ok?”

“Dammit,” Rahas hissed as he pushed himself to his feet under the aide of Lynus’ gentle healing. “How can something so fat and ugly move so fast?”

“We’re totally winning this,” Macerio encouraged, letting lose another Iceshot. “Just keep tripping it up.”

“I’ll try gagging the bastard,” Rahas stated as he snapped his whip. “Might prevent him from using those stupid attacks of his.”

“I’ll cover ya!”

With that, Rahas sprung back into battle, ducking and dodging the attacks of the others, doing his best to avoid the wild flails of the unpredictable monster.

Lynus immediately realised that the monster was getting desperate. It was thrashing about now, growing in strength as it tried to fight back. The little nicks and scratches that were still inflicting Axel and others were starting to get worse.

Salve wasn’t enough. He had better kick it up a notch. It was time for him to learn Salve 2.

But…it was getting hard to concentrate, the continuing wincing he did whenever he heard the Hellion’s roar. It was ungodly unnerving.

“Just concentrate on your healing!” Jhon said to him as he lifted his shield, protecting him from the fierce fire attack being emitted from the Hellion.

Knowing that Jhon and Chi-hung would indeed keep him from harm and that his healing spells would in turn ensure that they were at full strength constantly; Lynus began to focus his mind. He didn’t close his eyes, but he was able to centre himself nonetheless. He was looking at the battle before him, but not really seeing any of it.

The danger didn’t matter. He was a medic. He would heal them time and time again. Didn’t matter how much strength it took or what he had to do, he would keep them all alive. That was what he wanted. And that was what he was going to do.

Stay determined. Push forward fearlessly. There was no room for any self-doubt. Not when so many lives were involved.

“Magnus!” Axel called out to their Alchemist. “Use your ice magic to trap it!”

“I can only use Freeze,” Magnus meekly replied.

Swinging his axe, Axel struck the Hellion’s hand as he reached out to grab him, making the creature snarl in pain, pulling its injured hand back in reflex. “Remember the hospital,” he shouted to him.

A look of realisation dawned upon Magnus’ features before being replaced by an expression of resolve. “Yes,” he simply said, clutching at his chest.

“Listen to your intuition for accurate guidance,” Shen told Magnus, giving him the courage to become spiritually stronger.

Magnus closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. Slowly, the air around him began to cool, a soft mist enveloping him. He began to walk forward, his steps confident, not faltering or nervous.

His eyes suddenly snapped open, piercing and fierce. “Cocytus!”

In front of where Magnus was standing, enormous shards of ice erupted from the ground, crackling a trail toward the Hellion, encircling it. Although the monster’s primary power was its intense heat, it would take a few moments for it to be able to melt through the ice.

With Tobyn and Macerio keeping the Hellion’s attention with their long-ranged attacks, Axel and the others were able to come from behind, taking it by surprise as they used their most advantageous attacks all at once.

A roar, guttural and fierce, caused the very air around them to tremble violently. But it wasn’t a growl of anger or menace, but the dying wail of a monster that had reached its limit. It had been resolved to its fate.

With blood gurgling violently from its mouth, the Hellion fell to the ground amongst the shards of ice that served as its prison. Steam and smoke rose from its still form, melting some of the ice. However, the steam slowly began to dissipate.

Then, it disappeared altogether.

Finally, it was over. Their difficult challenge had been defeated. They’d won.

Lynus sunk down to his knees, the Shard Mace tumbling from his hands and falling to the ground with a mute thud. Clutching the Amazonite tightly, he took a couple of deep breathes as he eased back his healing spirit, momentarily stopping his curing spells in order to allow himself some time to recover.

Staggering over to him, dragging his axe, Axel dropped down onto the ground next to him, releasing his grip on his weapon to instead reach out and touch Lynus. “Are you ok?” he asked him gently.

Lynus nodded his head, still slightly breathless. “Yeah,” he said as he leaned toward Axel, finding immense comfort in his presence, in the solid fact that he was still alive. That he wasn’t going to be dying on him.

With Axel’s arms around his shoulders, the two of them leaning against each other as they gathered themselves, Lynus took a moment to glance around at the others to reassure himself that they were also fine. And they were; exhausted and suffering from the aftermath of continuous adrenaline rushes, but they were all alive and healthy.

“Well, that didn’t quite turn out as to be expected,” Hamza commented dryly as the tension slowly began to ease. He, however, smiled warmly. “Still, it looks like we have invested in ourselves wisely. You should be proud of yourselves. All of you.”

And he looked proud for them. Of them.

Everyone took in Hamza’s praise silently, not outwardly agreeing, but certainly not disagreeing. There was a sense of modesty, yet self-confidence was also felt. They had faced a difficult challenge and passed it.

For Lynus, though, it made him realise just how talented and skilled Axel and the Guardians were. He had never seen anything so amazing before. How they were able to work together, putting all their different abilities together in order to move as a team. Each and every single one of them was magnificent in their chosen duties.

And Rahas. How could the Dark Hunter consider himself ‘not strong enough’ at all? He was amazing!

He had never witnessed anything like it. Truly.

Lynus was starting to feel exhausted; the adrenaline that had kept him going throughout the battle was starting to fade. Still, there was a sense of exhilaration. “Was I really useful?” he couldn’t help asking.

“Useful?” Macerio loudly scoffed from where he was sprawled out on the ground. “You saved all our asses!”

Immediately, there was a chorus of agreement from the others. Even the usually silent Shen and Magnus verbally offered their praises.

“Hey!” Macerio said suddenly as he heaved himself into a sitting position and grinned broadly. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a personal Medic.”

Lynus smiled, giving a modest shrug. He found himself the centre of attention, every member of the Guardians regarding him with looks of endearment, of gratitude and sincere relief. And it was in that moment that he realised that, yes, he made the right decision. Foolhardy and reckless, but right.

That seemed to be becoming a characteristic trait of his.

“If there’s room for me,” Lynus ended saying, knowing that they’ll accept him. He knew it in his heart that they would.

“There’s plenty of room for you!”

Contentment. What a wonderful feeling to have.

“Now, let’s go home.”


	31. Chapter 31

Since they had entered the Labyrinth in two teams, they had to depart in separate groups. No one had the strength to venture onto the next floor to have a quick look around just yet. So, thanks the Warp Wire Lynus had with him, he was able to warp his group out. Tobyn had the other’s means of transportation, so they were quite literally right behind them.

Deciding that the report to Minister Dubois could wait until they were fully rested, the exhausted, but thankfully still alive, explorers trudged back to the Inn. It was late, well into the night, but Matron was still awake, seemingly waiting for them. She looked momentarily surprised to see that Lynus was part of the group, but she didn’t ask any questions. She just smiled knowingly before ushering them to get some sleep.

Even though Lynus was beyond tired, he still wanted to check up on the others, to see if they needed any further healing. More specifically, he wanted to check on Axel because of the hairline fracture in his arm and Tobyn because of the injury to his side.

But Hamza put a halt to that. He told him point-blank that further healing could wait until morning. After everyone got some sleep. After he got some.

He was right. Lynus wouldn’t be able to heal to the best of his ability if he didn’t recover his own energy. And with Axel tugging on his arm, practically dragging him up the stairs, he doubted he would be able to get much done anyway.

As soon as the door to their room closed with a soft click, Lynus found himself abruptly pulled into Axel’s arms. The red-haired Landsknecht held him tightly as he pressed his face into Lynus’ hair, breathing deeply. “I can’t believe you could be so reckless,” he murmured.

Lynus immediately knew what he was talking about. Even he was somewhat surprised by his rashness. The furthest he had ever been in the Labyrinth previously was the first floor. And suddenly he was running around heedlessly on the tenth? That was quite a leap.

It was reckless and could have potentially ended disastrously. But, dammit, he would do it again in heartbeat.

Lynus squirmed in Axel’s hold. “Are you ok?” he asked. “Is your arm giving you any pain?”

“Lynus, my arm is fine,” Axel said, with a slight tone of exasperation in his voice. He pulled them apart, just to take Lynus by the shoulders to gaze upon his face with a firm look. “You’ve already healed it.”

Lynus chose to ignore Axel for the moment as he actively began to peel back Axel’s armour, removing the straps and clips in order to get a proper look. And Axel didn’t protest. He simply sighed and helped in the removal of his battle armour, the metal equipment pooling on the floor around his feet.

“What about your side?” Lynus asked, his hand reaching out to touch Axel’s waist, where there was an obviously bloody tear in his clothing. He tried to push the event of how Axel got such an injury into the back of his mind. It was still very vivid, though. The fear he felt still blatant.

He wished he didn’t see that…

Quite an introduction to the dangers of the Labyrinth, huh?

“I’m fine,” Axel stated confidently, somewhat amused by his fussing.

He would be, wouldn’t he? After all, trekking through the Labyrinth was something Axel did every day. He knew the dangers, he knew the potential threats. It was something he did routinely.

And, well, he survived this long, hadn’t he?

“Sorry,” Lynus said as he finally relented in his prodding. He took a step back and folded his arms over his torso as he took a moment to mull over what had actually happened. Now that he was standing in the middle of his room, the battle seemed almost like a bad dream. The cries and roars of the Hellion were still ringing in his ears, yet they were muted now.

But what left a real impression on him, something that would last for a long time yet, was how co-ordinated everyone in Axel’s guild were in their attacks. How they were able to work together. Even Rahas was able to fit in so nicely, working in tandem with Macerio.

“You’re an amazing fighter, you know that?” Lynus said to Axel, smiling softly. “Everyone in your guild is really impressive.”

Axel gave a light shrug as he set about getting out of his dirty and torn clothes. “It helps that we get along, I guess.”

“I can’t help but wonder if you really need me,” Lynus whispered under his breath.

Well, he thought he did. But he mustn’t have as Axel whipped around to look at him, his face creased into an expression of confusion. “What?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“O-outside the Labyrinth, I mean,” Lynus offered meekly as he offered an understanding, yet somewhat sad, smile. “I need you, but you don’t need me.”

And that hurt.

“Like hell I don’t!” Axel retorted sharply, raising his voice for the first time. “I need you more than you could possibly know!”

Lynus took a step back in surprise, his eyes widening. Not from fear, though. Oh, most certainly not. Axel would never do anything to hurt him in anyway and Lynus could never be afraid of him in anyway.

No, Lynus felt somewhat…flustered.

And as Axel reached out to him, Lynus moved, allowing himself to be gently taken back into Axel’s arms. He rested the palms of his hands against Axel’s chest, as Axel pressed his face against the side of his neck, holding him so close, so warm.

This embrace felt different, somehow. Lynus couldn’t quite fathom how, it just felt more…intimate.

“You give my life meaning, Lynus,” Axel explained, his voice becoming quite strained. “For eight years I had no idea what happened to you, where you went. I had nothing to keep me going.”

“But you’re so strong, I…”

“I’m strong because of you,” Axel said as he threaded his fingers through Lynus’ hair on the back of his head. “The thought of you kept me going. I needed to get stronger so that I could find you again. It was hard, but you were all that I had.”

“Axel…” Lynus whispered, a funny fluttering feeling appearing in his chest when he felt his head being impeccably tilted back.

His eyes slid closed when Axel’s mouth was against his, just like the kiss they shared that morning, before this whole ordeal began. Although timid and unsure, having never kissed anyone before (he didn’t have time to even consider anything like it), he grasped onto Axel’s shirt, pressing his lips more firmly against Axel’s.

It showed that he wanted this closeness as much as Axel did. That he, too, wanted to be with him in anyway, doing anything and everything together.

Because, yes, this was exactly what he…

“All I ever really wanted was to feel safe and needed,” Lynus murmured softly as they pulled back slightly, yet still close enough for their lips to graze one another’s.

“You’re safe with me,” Axel replied.

“I know.”

Lynus lifted his arms and wrapped them around Axel’s neck, lifting himself up onto his toes so he could press his lips against Axel’s once more. Axel’s arms subtly tighten around his waist, easily lifting him up off the ground, holding Lynus so tightly against him. They embraced each other warmly, finding reassurance and comfort in the other’s presence.

Slowly pulling back from the kiss, Lynus stayed supported in Axel’s arms as he unwound his arms from his neck, instead to place his hands on each side of Axel’s face. “From now on, where you go, I go,” he said, looking directly into Axel’s eyes. “I doesn’t matter how dangerous or how difficult, I’m staying with you.”

“Yeah,” Axel immediately agreed.

They shared another kiss before succumbing to their fatigue. They crawled into the same bed, Axel on his back with Lynus using his shoulder as a pillow.

“You’re the most resilient person I’ve ever met,” Axel whispered as he pressed his lips against his forehead briefly.

“It was just luck, I suppose,” Lynus said around a tired chuckle as he trailed an idle finger along the collar of Axel’s shirt. “Lucky that I read a lot of books.”

Axel snorted lightly as he settled against the mattress. “There was a hell of a lot more involved than luck.”

Lynus smiled as he closed his eyes. “Well, maybe I’m just stubborn,” he said as he snuggled against Axel’s side. “Like you.”

This time Axel gave a tired chuckle. “Most likely.”

With Axel’s warm arm tightly around his waist, Lynus easily fell asleep, lulled by the reassuring beating of his heart.

… … … … …

Morning came a little too quickly for any member of the Guardians Guild’s liken. Especially for those who had been so tired that they forgot to close their blinds, pulled abruptly from their slumbers by a blinding beam of sunlight falling across their faces.

Fortunately, Lynus and Axel had a more enjoyable awakening, waking to find that they were still wrapped up in each other’s arms. They hadn’t moved much in their sleep, apparently. Too tired or too comfortable, perhaps. Maybe even a bit of both.

They opted to stay in bed for a while, not saying much, exchanging a few kisses every now and again. It might seem strange to others, seeing two best friends who were reunited after eight years apart sharing kisses that went beyond normal friendship. But to them, it was a natural progress of their relationship.

It didn’t seem awkward or forced to either of them. It was natural. Something they were going to be doing a lot in the future.

As the sun moved across the sky, they decided that they should get up now. They were getting hungry, after all. And Lynus, being the caretaker that he was and always will be, had the overwhelming need to check up on the others.

In particular Lirit and Binah. His unexpected jaunt into the Labyrinth, without telling them, must have frightened them. He had better go reassure them that he was fine, and so was everyone else. In a small way, he hoped that they got some of the story from Rahas, anyway.

Reluctantly slipping out of bed, they set about getting cleaned and dressed into some comfortable clothes. It was fairly certain that they wouldn’t be doing any quests or mapping of the labyrinth for the rest of the day. Only fair after such a big battle, after all.

Before leaving the room, Axel dragged Lynus back into his arms and kissed him once again. Lynus smiled before kissing back, his hands resting comfortably on Axel’s broad shoulders, noting how effortlessly his Landsknecht was hold him.

“Do a quick check-up if you must,” Axel said after pulling away. “But that’s it. Today, you’re also taking a rest.”

“Ok,” Lynus said with a smile. “I can do that.”

Planting a chaste kiss to Axel’s lips, Lynus pulled away from Axel and opened the door.

With Axel heading toward the dining room, Lynus had to find where the others were at. He wasn’t entirely sure of the time, but was pretty certain that everyone would be up and milling around right about now. Or maybe they were lounging about in their rooms? Should he check their rooms first, or..?

“Lynus!”

Just managing to reach the bottom step of the stairs, Lynus nearly had the wind knocked out of him by a pink-blur practically crash-tackling him. He stumbled backwards, but managed to stay upright as Binah clung to him.

“Rahas told me everything,” Binah said, her voice muffled as her face was pressed against his stomach. “Don’t ever do that again.”

Lynus winced and apologetically patted the young Troubadour on the head. Maybe he should delay in telling her that the Guardians consider him a guild-member now. Well, he was a member officially now.

Before Lynus could apologise verbally, another pair of arms suddenly latched onto him and he couldn’t help but release a small chuckle. The other person who was clinging onto him was, without a doubt, Lirit.

“I’m sorry for worrying you both,” Lynus said as he allowed the two to hang onto him for a while, giving them time to gather themselves before slowly detaching himself from their holds. “I promise I won’t go anywhere without telling you again, ok?”

They seemed somewhat pleased with that.

“And I’m not going to go anywhere today,” Lynus added. “I just want to check up on the other members of the Guardians, ok?”

Now, that made the two of them feel slightly more reassured, nodding happily before moving off, to help round the others up for inspection, no doubt.

Lynus chuckled to himself as he went on a search of his own. In a small way, it kinda reminded him of his time under Taksony’s iron control. Running around and healing others that were under his watch. But that was where the similarities ended.

First, he was healing explorers, people whom he considered friends and family.

Secondly, he was healing those who actually needed it and appreciated it, not because they thought they deserved it.

Thirdly, he was doing it because he wanted to. It gave him a sense of joy as he was doing what he loved to do. He liked taking care of people, not just watching over them.

Fourthly, he wasn’t being constantly harassed by some egotistical Dark Hunter who had teeth like a shark. Nor was he worried about trying to avoid certain other people.

Fifthly, he didn’t wake up in the mornings with the feeling of dread and fear. He looked forward to the next mornings, wondering what other things he could see and learn.

And lastly, but most importantly, he was happy. Being with Axel made him feel contented. Far happier than he could ever remember being before. And he wasn’t alone, didn’t have to struggle alone.

So, yeah, things were completely different now. He was eagerly embracing the opportunities that change brought.

“Ah, Lynus.”

Having only gotten as far as the lobby, Lynus was mildly surprised to see the Guardians’ leader, Hamza walk in through the entrance. Had he been to visit Minister Dubois already? “Oh, Hamza?”

“Have you just awakened?” Hamza went on to ask.

“Not really,” Lynus replied with a small shrug and a smile. “I’m just seeing if everyone else is all right.”

Hamza gave a surprisingly amused chuckle, appearing as if he had been expecting him to say that. “I see you’re taking your role as this guild’s personal medic seriously,” he quipped as he headed to the front counter, placing a small bag of something there and looking through it.

For whatever reason, Lynus felt himself blush. “I just wanted to make sure…”

“Yes, everyone is fine,” Hamza said, still smiling that knowing smile of his, keeping most of his attention on what he was carrying in that small bag. “Why shouldn’t they be? You were there to offer assistance immediately, after all.”

“…Was my healing ok?” Lynus couldn’t help asking, feeling the need to do something with his hands. “I mean, I’ve never used Salve before, so I wasn’t-”

Hamza lifted his head and looked Lynus straight in the eye. “Take pride in your excellent skills,” he said intensely. “They certainly helped us out in so many ways.”

Lynus nodded his head, feeling reassured by that. “I’ll continue to work on my healing, but I am glad that I was able to help out.”

“Ah, I doubt you will have much left to learn,” Hamza countered as he turned back to the counter, busying himself.

Lynus was certain that wasn’t true. There was so much for him to learn about healing and new things were being discovered in the labyrinth every day. There were still many medicines that could be made. And he hoped that maybe he could make them himself.

He wondered how many floors there was of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth there could be.

Speaking of which…

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Lynus said as he regained Hamza’s attention. He wrung his hands out in front of him, looking and feeling a little nervous. “Are you, ah, angry that we followed? It was my idea, so if-”

“No, I’m not angry,” Hazma interrupted him as he pulled the string on the small pouch and placed it surprisingly behind the counter, where the log book was usually kept. He must be paying in advance, something that wasn’t uncommon.

“Surprised, I suppose you could say,” Hazma continued to speak, turning away from the counter to look at Lynus once more. “But I understand everyone’s actions. Being left behind, wondering what happened, fearing the worse; it is very painful, isn’t it?”

“It is. In so many ways,” Lynus immediately agreed. “I don’t want to experience that again. And I don’t want anyone else to, either.”

“Humans a funny creatures, are we not?” Hamza commented.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Lynus smiled before giving a slight nod of his head. “Excuse me; I need to check up on the others now.”


	32. Chapter 32

As they did most days, Hamza had asked the others to gather in the tea room in order to discuss the day’s events. But this meeting in particular was going to be about their battle they just struggled through yesterday. An event that was still quite fresh in their minds.

Axel had gone in search of the others in order to gather them into the tea room. It wasn’t hard to round everyone up. They knew the routine anyway. He just had to locate Lynus, who was probably running around like a chicken with its head cut off in order to see if everyone was truly safe and sound.

And, sure enough, he found his Medic fussing over Rahas, the brooding Dark Hunter resisting at every chance. Axel knew little about the Rahas other than he was also under that bastard Taksony’s control at one point, but very little other than that. And the fact that Lynus seemed overly concerned about him.

“Lynus,” Axel said as he approached. “Hamza is going to hold a meeting about the Hellion.”

Turning away from the restless Rahas, Lynus looked over to Axel and smiled that beautiful smile of his. “Ok,” he said, nodding his head in understanding as he tried to turn back to Rahas, only to looked disheartened to find that he had slipped away the moment he was distracted.

“You’re coming, too,” Axel said as he placed a hand on Lynus’ shoulder, turning him back round to face him. “Remember, you’re a part of this guild now, too.”

A flicker of realisation appeared on Lynus’ face. “Oh, right!” he said, a small gracing his lips once more.

Axel chuckled as he slipped an arm around Lynus’ shoulders, Lynus pressing himself readily against his side and led him into the tea room where the others would have already gathered and would be waiting for them to arrive. Shutting the door behind them, Axel plonked himself down casually on one end of the couch, Lynus slipping into the spot next to him, sitting in-between Axel and Magnus, who was curled up on the other end of the couch.

Seeing that everyone was of his guild was present, Hamza began the meeting.

“I have just spoken with Minister Dubois and he sends his sincerest congratulations. With the Hellion disposed of, the Second Stratum and beyond is free to be explored. And it’s all thanks to you,” he said, in a proudly and somewhat fatherly sort of way.

He allowed a moment of silence to reign, letting his words sink in, making them realise just how far they had come and how much they were able to achieve.

“However,” Hamza suddenly continued, his smile fading, replaced by an expression of consideration. “I would like to discuss the battle with the Hellion. I cannot help but think that we were under levelled, as it were.”

They were a few murmurs amongst the others. And Axel felt Lynus tense subtly beside him, so he rested his arm on the back of the couch, behind Lynus’ head. Lynus glanced over to him and gave him a small smile, some tension from his shoulders dropping and he allowed himself to sink back into his seat.

“I agree,” Jhon was the first to speak out. “That monster was stronger than we had first considered.”

“Had it not been for Lynus' healing, the outcome would surely have proved different,” Hamza stated matter-a-factly.

Lynus blushed lightly at the praise, but opted to stay silent, simply allowing the others to glance at him in appreciative ways and not saying anything to try and dispute them.

“All of us were needed to defeat it safely, huh?” Macerio commented, sounding rather gloomy.

“I am not undervaluing our skills,” Hamza was quick to reassure. “But I think it would be best if we spend time on the first two stratums, to enhance our experience. Think if as a pause for reflection and insight.”

It was probably for the best. That battle was indeed tough. Thinking back on it now, maybe they were a little unprepared. Medicines were all well and good, but did they have enough? Could they have afforded the time to slip out of battle to drink a medicine, allow it to take affect before jumping back in?

Lynus’ healing abilities were amazing, but what would they do if something happened to him? After all, Lynus had confessed to him that he wasn’t good at healing himself.

There had to be a better way of doing things.

“Wouldn't hurt to ensure that the maps are up to date,” Tobyn commented, folding his arms over his chest. “And the Codex.”

“We cannot go into the Labyrinth heedlessly just because we have a Medic in our guild now,” Hamza pointed out. “It would not be fair on Lynus.”

Lynus pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them as he hugged them to his chest, his chin resting on his knees. “I would like to learn more about the items that can be found so I can make more powerful medicines just in case.”

“I still think it would be wise to at least step foot on the next floor,” Tobyn continued. “The tenth floor was as far as the Hellion was willing to go. Why? What was holding it back?”

Those were some pretty good questions. The Hellion ran rampant in the Second Stratum, but went no further than that. Perhaps there was something on eleventh floor that it did not like.

“Do ya think that there could be a Geomagnetic Pole on that floor, as well?” Macerio asked, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Could be a new stratum completely,” Axel murmured.

Hamza tapped his chin in thought, taking everything into consideration. “How about this proposal? Jhon, Tobyn, Macerio, Shen and Magnus inspect the eleventh floor while I take Lynus, and two other would-be explorers, through the first stratum?” he glanced over at Axel, smiling when he no doubt saw the quizzically raised eyebrow. “Axel will accompany us in case anything untoward should occur. I don't think it will, but you never know.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Axel immediately stated, pleased that he’ll be tagging along. Now, he would anyway, but at least he won’t have to argue with Hamza. “But who are the two others?”

“Do you mean Rahas and Lirit?” Lynus asked as he lifted his chin off of his knees.

“They seemed interested in becoming explorers themselves,” Hamza explained. “It would be best if they did so in a safe manner, don't you agree?”

“Yes, that sounds good,” Lynus was quick to respond, indeed finding the proposal favourable. “I definitely think I’ll need a lot more experience dealing with the Labyrinth.”

“Sorry, Chi-hung, but I'm afraid you will have to stay here,” Hamza said as he turned his attention to the white-tiger, who in turned looked up at him with an expression of sheer displeasure. “Now now, you can come next time, I promise.”

Chi-hung growled lowly before relenting, lying on the floor and resting his head on top of his crossed paws. He wasn’t overly displeased, but he most certainly wasn’t happy either.

“Well, with that sorted, the rest of the day is yours,” Hamza smiled, finished the meeting. “Tomorrow, we’ll go back to work. Enjoy your day off.”

… … … … …

It was nice to have the occasional day off. But the lure back into the Labyrinth could never be denied for long. The densely green forest that enhanced the ancient ruins that dotted along the many winding paths. The mystery, the unknowing of what was around the corner. You could never be sure what to expect.

Sure, it was very dangerous, but it was also enthralling in its mystical origin. That was why explorers flocked here in droves.

Stepping back onto the first floor, Axel couldn’t help but reminisce when he spied a few novice guilds running about, trying to complete their first task before they could become official explorers. He remembered his first time stepping onto these unknown grounds. Just him, Hamza, Jhon, Tobyn and Shen at the start. Magnus, Macerio and Chi-hung joined not that much later.

It actually felt good to start from the very beginning once more. It felt even better that Lynus was a part of their party. Although this was not technically his first time, it would be his first as a party member, expecting to experience and understanding the true technicalities of battle.

Axel felt kinda guilty that he wasn’t able to share his own first time experiences with Lynus. But he argued with himself that it might be for the best. Being more experienced now, he could make sure that Lynus’ transition into a full-fledged member of the Guardians goes over smoothly.

“I told you this place was beautiful,” Lirit said to Lynus, positively happy that they were travelling together. He had his arm hooked through one of Lynus’, a old bow borrowed from Tobyn resting on his back.

“Yes, it’s indeed very beautiful,” Lynus replied, smiling toward Lirit before turning to gaze at the scenery. He seemed entranced by the flowers and leaves, and those little red mushrooms that lined the pathways, no doubt wondering if any of them would prove beneficial as medicines or other tonics.

“Don’t let your guard down,” Rahas muttered, keeping a watchful gaze around them. He had his ever present scowl on his face. He still kept close to Lynus, though.

“We’re fine on this level, right?” Lirit went on to say. “Besides, Axel and Hamza are here as well.”

The three ‘family’ members began to quibble amongst themselves, Rahas being the pessimist, Lirit the optimist and Lynus being the peace-keeper. Lirit was hanging onto one of Lynus’ arms, sticking close to him. Rahas had managed to snare Lynus by the wrist, seemingly trying to tug him somewhere.

Axel stood back from the small group, simply observing them. Despite the quarrelling they seemed to get along rather well. Both of them very fond of Lynus, although Rahas had a funny way of showing it. Lirit, on the other hand, had no trouble and wasn’t afraid to let his affection shine through by randomly hugging him.

Standing next to him, Hamza prodded Axel with his elbow. “Are you jealous?” he unexpectedly asked him, a rather telling smirk on his lips.

“Of course not,” Axel retorted with a snort. It was good to see that Lynus was well liked and that others cared for him. So he wasn’t jealous. Seriously…Not really. Even though they were hanging off his Lynus…

“Wah!”

Whipping around in a defensive manner, Axel reached up to grab the handle of his axe, more than ready to wield it. He, however, stopped, unable to prevent a smile from spreading across his lips. Lynus was standing in front of both Lirit and Rahas, his Shard Mace held out in front of him in both hands. And at his feet was the twitching form of a Woodmai. A slightly startled expression was on Lynus’ face while the other two novice explorers looked stunned.

It appeared as if Lynus had simply reacted when the Woodmai strayed too close, striking it down with his staff, even before Rahas and Lirit could react. And they’ve had more experience of this floor than Lynus did.

Hamza laughed heartedly. “A healthy reaction,” he said, amused and impressed.

Lynus slowly lowered his staff, a nervous and somewhat embarrassed smile on his lips. “That thing startled me…”

Axel relaxed his grip on his weapon. “It’s good to see that you have sharp reflexes,” he complimented as he walked over to stand near him as Lynus edged away from the incapacitated insect.

“You did better than me when I encountered my first monster,” Lirit continued with the praise, scratching the back of his neck in a bashful way. “I kinda froze.”

“I’m not exactly equipped for battle, though,” Lynus murmured as he looked around nervously.

“The monsters on this level aren’t as strong as the floors above, that’s true,” Hamza said, understanding Lynus unease. “It’s still encouraging to see you know how to react.”

“Besides, even if you’re not cut out for battle, as you said, you’re not alone,” Axel said as he placed a hand against the small of Lynus’ back in a comforting manner, making him tilt his head back to look up at him. “Only fight if you need to.”

Lynus nodded his head, finding reassurance at that. “I don’t want to be a complete ‘dead weight’ on the battlefield, though,” he added, however.

Axel couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the ‘dead weight’ comment. A medic could never be a burden on the battlefield. Lynus most certainly would not cause them any trouble, nor was he ever going to be useless.

He needed a bit more confidence in himself, not just his healing abilities.

“Shall we continue?” Hamza suggested before he proceeded to do just that, leading them through the many winding paths.

Axel stayed at the back of the group in case of any ambush, as well as keeping an eye on those in front of him. Lynus was in front of him, grasping the handle of his weapon with one hand while clutching at the strap of his medical bag. And in front of him was Lirit and then Rahas, Lirit humming a tune under his breath as he moved along merrily, in vast contrast to the ever moody Rahas.

At first they walked in silence, simply looking around at the nature around them, confident that Hamza would be leading them safely through the obstacles. They encountered a few monster attacks, but Axel thankfully didn’t have to interfere. Rahas was surprisingly quick with his whip and Lirit was able to take out a few with his bow, preventing them from getting any closer.

However, as they traversed onto the fourth floor, the three ‘family members’ began to talk amongst themselves, the silent awe of the Labyrinth subduing slightly as they talked about the monster attacks.

“Ah, I think it would be good if you two cooperated in battle,” Lynus said to both Lirit and Rahas. “That way, you can help each other out.” He then turned to look directly at Rahas, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving a slight squeeze. “Just like you did with Macerio during that battle against the Hellion, Rahas. You were amazing.”

For a fraction of a moment, a flicker of embarrassment appeared on Rahas’ usually stoic face. He soon huffed and looked away though, but it didn’t help remove the minor flush on his face.

“I’m not that strong,” Lirit said as he edged closer to Rahas, trying to get his attention. “So you’ll have to help me, ok?”

“Fine,” Rahas said as he folded his arms over his chest in a somewhat defiant way. “But I prefer working alone.”

Axel probably wasn’t meant to listen in, but he couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose in annoyance. “You won’t get far with that attitude,” he said, quickly gaining Rahas attention.

Rahas said nothing, instead opting to glare at him through his one uncovered eye. With Axel less than impressed with his scowl, he turned to face the front of the group and hastened in his steps. Lirit shared a look with Lynus, who simply smiled sadly in return, mouthing to him to stay with Rahas. Lirit nodded and hastened his own steps to catch up.

“Jeez,” Axel muttered. “He’s a bundle of sunshine, isn’t he?”

Lynus sighed and nodded his head. “I'm a little worried about him,” he replied as he slipped back slightly so that he and Axel were now talking side by side.

“What about him?” Axel gently pressed, knowing that Lynus probably needed to speak about it.

“He's been trying to...protect me,” Lynus replied slowly, as if trying to find the right words.

That instantly got Axel’s attention. “Protect you from what?”

Lynus fidgeted slightly. “You know...the past…”

“Go on.”

Lynus looked forward to see how far the other three members of their party were before turning toward Axel, leaning slightly against him so that he could speak softly. He didn’t want the others to overhear in fear of upsetting them, perhaps.

“There was another Dark Hunter there that liked to...harass me, for a lack of a better word. He didn't do anything!” he admitted before hastily explaining further, no doubt prompted by the protective twitch of Axel’s eye. “Really. He couldn't, you see, as I was too useful and was pretty much off limits. A minor blessing, in the long run. But that didn't mean he wouldn't follow me around and keep me on my toes.”

Axel tried to keep his protective urges at bay. There was another bastard? “What is his name?”

“Avith,” Lynus muttered bitterly, as if his name itself was the vilest word he could say.

Axel narrowed his eyes as he briefly glanced over at Rahas, immediately understanding the implications of what Lynus was telling and why Rahas seemed so hell-bent on becoming stronger. “Does Rahas think that this Avith person is going to come looking for you?” he asked, turning to look back at Lynus.

“He seems to think so,” Lynus admitted with a sigh.

Avith, huh? Fine. If that bastard did come looking for Lynus, then Axel will just have to use him to take out his absolute hatred for Taksony on. And it wasn’t going to be pretty. Not even a medic as talented as Lynus would be able to piece the bastard back together.

“He's going to be in for one hell of a shock,” Axel murmured through gritted teeth.

“I...don't want Rahas to, well, protect me,” Lynus confessed, dropping the volume of his voice further, especially now that they were approaching the stairs to the next level. “I mean, I have you now, and...But I can't tell him that. He lost one reason to get stronger when I...when Taksony died. But now...”

“I see,” Axel murmured. “You want him to find another reason to live.”

“Yes!” Lynus said as he stopped walking to stand in front of Axel, looking desperately at him. “I don't know what to do.”

Axel’s eyes softened and he was unable to stop himself from reaching out and taking Lynus into his arms. He looked and sounded so lost and desperate. It didn’t suit him. He should never have to feel that way again.

“Maybe it's something he needs to figure out for himself,” Axel said as he rested his chin on top of Lynus’ head, knowing that they were safe for now as no monsters have ever attacked while walking up the stairs to the next floor.

Lynus readily pressed himself against Axel’s chest. “...Probably,” he murmured, not knowing what else to say.

“What the hell was that?!”

Startled by the sound of Rahas’ voice, Axel and Lynus pulled apart, both turning to look up the stairs. They shared only a brief glance before they ran the rest of the way, skidding onto the fifth floor.

“What is it?” Axel asked with his hand on the hilt of his weapon, the other holding Lynus’ arm in order to keep him safe should anything occur.

Hamza turned to answer, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a scream of sheer pain ripped through the air forcing him to spin back around, trying to pinpoint the direction of the sound. His brow was furrowed, his face stern and serious.

And Axel soon understood why. That scream wasn’t from a monster. It was human. Female, most likely. And they were in pain. That meant…

“Let’s hurry.”


	33. Chapter 33

The cries of pain were quite potent and consistent. It wasn’t a sound that either Axel or Hamza had heard before. It wasn’t like a ‘normal’ yell of pain one would unintentionally release when one was unable to dodge or had misjudged an attack.

Racing down a narrow path, they reached a set of doors. Pausing for a moment, they were quick to realise that the sound was coming from the other side. They had no way in knowing what they could be walking into. There were a couple of Furyhorns and Raptors on the floor somewhere and they could be highly aggressive.

Axel didn’t like the fact that their party consisted of two rookies and Lynus, but there was no way they could simply walk away from someone in trouble.

“I want you three to stay at the back for now,” Hamza ordered before he turned to Axel. “Ready?”

Placing one hand on the door, the other once again seeking out for his axe, Axel nodded. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”

Bracing themselves, Axel and Hamza pushed the doors open and stepped inside. They had been expecting a rather gruesome battle scene, but instead the site was a little more…underwhelming.

A group of fellow explorers were huddled in a small protective circle in the middle of the small opening, fussing about with confused concern. The main focus of their attention was a blond-haired woman dressed in red with golden arm guards on her arms. It was obvious that she was an Alchemist. It was also quite telling that she had been the one crying out in pain. She was doubled over, clutching at her stomach, trembling quite violently.

Axel was somewhat familiar with this guild, although he couldn’t remember their guild’s name. They were a group of your average explorers; they haven’t done anything spectacular or anything notorious. They were just a group of explorers doing their own thing as safely as possible.

Hedrick, an elderly War Magus was the leader. The group consisted of a blond-haired female Alchemist, whom of which was Hedrick’s daughter, Shania. There was a grey-haired female Hexer called Annika, a blue-haired male Survivalist Ryker, and a blond-haired female Protector Shelia.

Axel shared a look with Hamza, both of them pleased to see that there wasn’t a life or death struggle occurring. But what was going on exactly?

Lynus slipped up next to Axel to peer around him, looking around. “Is someone hurt?” he immediately asked.

The group, however, hadn’t even noticed that they were there. Which wasn’t a good thing. If they were this distracted, anything could sneak up on them and take them all out.

“Do you need any assistance?” Hamza asked, striding boldly toward the group. He immediately realised that the distressed female wasn’t crying from fear, but of pain. There were no obvious injures, but she was obviously in pain.

Four members of the group were startled to see them. They spun around to face them, fear and panic on their faces. None of them appeared to have any kinds of injuries, though. The only one in distress was Shania who was being supported by her father’s arms.

“You…?” Survivalist Ryker uttered when he laid eyes on Lynus, his brow furrowed as if trying to place his face. “Don’t you work at the hospital?”

“Sometimes,” Lynus replied with a small smile.

“A Medic!” Protector Shelia exclaimed with intense relief. Her relief quickly turned to pleading, however, as she frantically pointed to Shania. “Please, you have to help her. We don’t know what’s wrong with her.”

Not waiting for confirmation from Axel nor Hamza, Lynus strode forward and pushed his way through the small group. The small guild seemed to settle down just a tiny bit, their anxiety lessening from Lynus’ presence. They knew that he had worked at the hospital, most likely had seen him there countless times. Shania would be in good hands.

Lynus hovered in front of Shania, crouching down slightly to ask her a few questions and when she indicated to her abdomen, he placed his hand on her stomach in order to feel around and perhaps utter a cure spell or refresh to lessen the pain.

Whatever was ailing her must have been something beyond the healing abilities of her father. As a War Magus, he had some limited healing spells of his own.

_“Eh?!”_ Lynus unexpectedly squeak and immediately straightened up, reeling his head back as a look of pure bewilderment appeared on his face. “You've gone into labour! How could you enter the labyrinth when you're pregnant?!”

“I'm _what?!”_ Shania, in turn, yelled at him.

“How dare you-?” Hedrick started to say, clearly annoyed that someone would accuse his daughter of being pregnant. He seemed ready to tell Lynus off for making a wild accusation, but he was harshly interrupted when Shania gave a low scream, clutching her stomach.

“Something's coming-!” she sobbed as her legs suddenly buckled beneath her.

Hedrick immediately focused his entire attention back to his daughter. He placed a hand on her stomach, the monocle on his eye dropping to the ground as his eyes widen in shock. “You ARE pregnant?” he said in pure disbelief. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“I didn't know!” Shania replied desperately, her fear that was mixed with disbelief was palpable. “I just...thought...”

“We don't have time to discuss this,” Lynus stated firmly, regaining his composure and managing to stay calm. “That baby is coming out now.”

“I-I have a warp wire,” Shelia, the Protector, said as she pulled out the item, holding it in a trembling hand, a look of sheer panic on her face.

Not only hers, but the rest of her guild. Not to mention that Axel and those of his party were starting to feel edgy and uneasy as well. All the explorers here were used to dealing with monsters and handling quests. The last thing they would have any knowledge about was delivering a baby.

Axel turned to look at Hamza, hoping that he would have some clue of what to do. Instead, he got a rather disturbingly ruffled look out of the usually composed War Magus. Clearly, it was a first, even for him.

“We can't risk it,” Lynus replied, he sounded unruffled and calm, yet firm and in charge all the same. “Warp Wires are for a party of five. With a baby on the way, you have six members. We don't know what could happen to the mother and baby if a warp wire is used.”

“There is a Geomagnetic Field on the floor above,” Axel offered, although was somewhat certain that it wouldn’t be of any help. They couldn’t risk taking her all the way up there.

“There isn't enough time,” Lynus muttered, a frown tugging at his lips. He glanced at Shania, who was now sitting down, her father having removed his coat for her to rest on, keeping her the dirty ground. Hedrick comforted his daughter the best he could, but he, too, looked lost and bewildered. Protectively panicky even.

“Well,” Lynus drew in a deep breath, seemingly readying himself. Suddenly, he dropped his bag, along with his staff and whipped off his medical coat. “It looks like I'm going to be delivering a baby.”

The anxious atmosphere just got a little more intense. 

“…Did he say delivering a baby?” The blue-haired Survivalist, Ryker, asked, looking utterly dumbfounded.

“You,” Lynus pointed at Hedrick in a no-nonsense manner. “Stay with your daughter.” He then spared a quick glance toward those who were gathered dumbly around them. “Everyone else, I want you to stand in a protective circle around us. Make sure no monsters decide to drop in. The screams and blood might attract attention.”

Somewhat grateful that they could do something, Axel and the others immediately turned around, creating a protective barrier around Lynus and his, ah, patient. They had their weapons at the ready, more than willing to strike anything that strayed too close.

“I want you to concentrate on this baby,” Lynus was heard saying rather bluntly, yet still gentle all the same. “Don’t think about anything else. You’re safe and protected. Just let the baby come.”

Shania let out a barely stifled whimper. “Ok,” she said trying to keep her breathing steady as her father uttered some reassuring words to her.

Axel tried to block out the woman’s pained grunts and whimpers as he concentrated on sensing any potential threats. Although their group was large, they were of two different guilds so had never worked together before. And they were an easy target.

Then, another cry rang out. High-pitched and loud. A cry belonging to a baby.

Risking a glance over his shoulder, Axel watched as Lynus wrapped the small, sticky and gooey child up in his medical coat, wiping at the baby’s mouth and nose with the sleeve.

“Whew,” Lynus said with enormous relief, smiling gently down at the crying child. “Everything looks fine. He's breathing, as you can hear. Ten fingers, ten toes.”

Shania rested heavily against her father, her cheeks flushed and her brow slick with sweat. She appeared absolutely exhausted, but she didn’t look as though she was in anymore pain. She stared at the small bundle in Lynus’ arms, as did her father. Both of them looked stunned and really quite flabbergasted.

However, as Lynus carefully placed the baby boy in his new mother’s arms, a warm but tired smile appeared on her lips. “Hey, you,” she whispered gently as she cradled her son against her chest. “Aren’t you a surprise?”

The tense atmosphere slowly began to ease. The little boy was squirming in his mother’s arms, but wasn’t crying. The two other girls of the group edged forward, Hexer Annika most interested to study the newborn.

“Despite the circumstances, that was a rather easy birth,” Lynus commented as he began to clean up, snapping off a pair of medical gloves off of his hands. “But you really need to get back into town. As quickly as possible.”

“Use the warp wire,” Survivalist Ryker said as he placed a hand on Protector Shelia’s back, pushing her forward. “I'll trek to the Geomagnetic Field and use that to get home.”

Hedrick looked over at him with an expression of gratitude. “Are you sure?”

“With the baby, it makes five,” Ryker replied immediately, leaving no room for argument. “Don't worry about me.”

“We'll escort you to the Geomagnetic field,” Axel offered. “We know exactly where it is.”

Taking her eyes away from her child, Alchemist Shania looked up at Lynus with so much relief and gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Everything seems fine,” Lynus reassured, smiling at her in return. “But I want you to go to the hospital just in case. You'll probably, no you WILL, get a lecture from Dr Stiles, but try to block it out, ok?”

Keeping his arms supportively and protectively around his daughter, Hedrick nodded his head in Lynus’ direction. “We are in your debt,” he said.

But Lynus waved him off with a dismissive hand. “It’s what I’m here for,” he said, smiling modestly.

“Your coat?” Shania queried, indication to the one wrapped around the newborn.

“Keep it,” Lynus immediately said. “I’ll get a new one.”

With a few departing words of gratitude, Shelia used the Warp Wire. And with a flash of light, they were gone, leaving behind six still somewhat bemused explorers.

“Well,” Lynus said with a sigh as heaved his bag onto his shoulder, looking somewhat underdressed now that he wasn’t wearing his medical white coat. “That was a surprise.”

“That was amazing, Lynus,” Axel complimented him. And he truly meant that. It was amazing. Watching Lynus administer first aide, which he did so effortlessly, was always an astonishing thing to behold. “Have you done that before?”

“Honestly, no,” Lynus answered with a shy smile before shrugging, almost embarrassed. “But I had to do something. Besides, the mother did most of the work. I was just there to catch the baby.”

“Regardless of your modesty, we were lucky you were there,” Ryker said as he scratched the back of his neck. “None of us would have managed to remain calm like you did.”

“Ah, well...” Lynus stuttered, blushing lightly from all the praise. “She really didn't know she was pregnant, huh?”

“No, none of us did,” Ryker said and shook his head in disbelief before folding his arms over his chest. “Jeez. I do know one thing, though. There's going to be one angry War Magus when he finds out who the father is.”

Axel chuckled as they began to move. “I can imagine.”

The path to the next stair case wasn’t exactly a long one, nor was it fraught with danger. Thanks to a short cut, they should be able to safely escort Ryker onto the next floor. As they travelled through the long pathways, they spoke casually. Mostly, it was Lirit asking Lynus questions about other medical miracles he had performed since working at the hospital.

And Lynus, although a little uncomfortable from all the attention, was happy to talk about his time at the hospital. He was confident in his healing abilities to some extent, but had low self-esteem in regards of his self-worth.

But, Axel could work on that with him. No matter how long it would take.

“Oh, a pink light…?” Lynus murmured under his breath as he reached the top step of the stairs and stepped out onto the sixth floor.

“A Geomagnetic Field,” Axel explained, remembering that Lynus hadn’t encountered it before. “It’s similar to the Geomagnetic Pole on the floor below, it’s just we can use it to warp out if needed.”

“Oh, ok,” Lynus said as he nodded his head in understanding, looking intrigued as they approached it.

“Well, thanks for the escort,” Ryker said as he walked toward the column of pink light, looking relieved as he did so. “I better get back to town. I’m sure Hedrick would like to give his thanks to you again.”

“We are just pleased to have helped,” Hamza replied diplomatically.

Axel nodded his head as Lynus smiled and waved him off. “Take care.”

Ryker nodded his head once before he turned and stepped into the light, promptly disappearing also. In the resulting silence, Axel and his guild were finally able to recount recent events. They had expected to encounter a life or death battle. Instead they witnessed a birth of a newborn. In the Labyrinth, no less. Not the best place to give birth. There probably couldn’t be a worse place than the Labyrinth. At least it didn’t end badly.

Once again Lynus had saved the day.

Not quite what Axel had envisioned Lynus would encounter on his first official trip as a guild member inside the Labyrinth, but hey, it was marginally better than getting ambushed by a wandering FOE.

“Hey!”

Pulled out of his musings, Axel turned to look to his left toward the sound of the familiar voice. As soon as he looked, the sight of Macerio and those of his party members came into view. Macerio was ahead of the group, waving an arm in the air as he jogged over to them.

“Oh, it’s the others,” Lynus said, sounding both surprised and relieved to see them. He, however, smiled happily when he noted, with that keen eye of his, that none of them were hurt in any way.

“What are you doing here?” Hamza asked as their two groups met up. It wasn’t a demand, just a curious question. They hadn’t planned on meeting up.

“We couldn’t travel very far on the eleventh floor,” Tobyn explained simply, choosing not to go any further than that.

“So we decided to retrace our steps through the Second Stratum,” Jhon continued with a small smile.

Axel blinked. “What was on the eleventh floor?”

“The third Stratum,” Jhon answered, still smiling.

“And we figured out why the Hellion wouldn’t go any further,” Tobyn said.

Axel raised an eyebrow. They were being a little vague and mysterious. “Why?”

Macerio grinned widely as he folded his arms casually behind his head. “You’ll see for yourself.”

Magnus wandered over to Lynus and tugged at the back of his dark blue shirt to gain his attention. “W-what happened to your coat?” he asked as Lynus turned to give him his full attention.

“Oh!” Lynus smiled shyly and fidgeted with the strap of his bag. “Well, I kinda…”

For whatever reason, Lynus seemed unwilling to answer. Perhaps he was still rather embarrassed. So, Axel answered for him. “He delivered a baby.”

A stunned silence fell over the other five members, trying to engage whether or not they had heard correctly.

“…A what?” Macerio asked slowly.

“We’ll talk more when we return to town,” Hamza chuckled before indicating toward the Geomagnetic Field with a wave of his hand. “Come. It’s been a long day for all of us.”


	34. Chapter 34

“He what?!” Macerio’s voice seemed to echo throughout the Inn. “You mean he actually, swear to god, help deliver a baby in the Labyrinth?!”

Lynus winced and tried to ensure that he didn’t draw any attention to himself as he silently made his way over to the reception counter, paying the rent for his and Axel’s room.

It was obvious who Macerio was talking about. After they had unexpectedly reunited in the Labyrinth, the two parties returned to the Inn and quickly gathered into the tearoom. They wished to discuss what they had encountered in the Labyrinth.

However, Macerio and the others were more interested in hearing the whole story behind the ‘delivering a baby’ line Axel said.

They probably weren’t expecting Lynus to have actually deliver a baby in a literally sense. It was definitely something that didn’t happen every day. And something that wouldn’t happen again, hopefully.

“It’s the truth!”

Lynus glanced over his shoulder to see Lirit with a broad grin on his lips as he continued to explain to the enthralled explorers looking at him in complete disbelief. “We heard this scream, so we followed. There was this other guild. Totally freaking out. And Lynus was like, whipping off his coat and stating that he’s going to deliver this baby. He was completely amazing!”

Lynus rubbed the back of his neck, feeling rather embarrassed. He was silently glad, though, that they hadn’t noticed him yet, so he wasn’t the centre of attention. They were still talking about his so-called bravery at the hospital only a few days ago. He was sure that the gossipmongers around town were having a field day with this tale.

“What kind of idiot would go into the Labyrinth while pregnant?” Macerio asked as he sat back into his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “That would be the worst place to have a baby.”

“She said she didn’t know,” Lirit replied before shrugging. “Anyway, should make an interesting story to tell.”

“Wouldn’t have delivering a baby in the Labyrinth been potentially life-threatening?” Jhon was the one to ask. He wasn’t disputing Lirit’s tale, but he still looked rather incredulous.

“You’ve seen Lynus in full maternal mode, haven’t you?” Lirit said in a slightly humorous tone. “I doubt even the monsters would have messed with him.”

“Oh, I believe that!” Macerio said as he laughed rather loudly.

Lynus subconsciously pouted…What did he mean by that?

“I’m so glad I wasn’t there,” Macerio went on to comment. “Babies are just…eww and stuff.”

“You were a baby once,” Jhon pointed out.

And Tobyn snorted. “That does nothing to correct his statement.”

“Hey!”

Lynus hid a smile of his own at the friendly ribbing before hiding the coins for rent behind the counter with a note. He then silently darted upstairs, hoping that no one would see him as he slipped into his room. He breathed a small sigh of relief as the door closed behind him and he leaned against it.

Sitting in front of the table where his armour was laid out and in the process of being readjusted, Axel turned to look at Lynus, an eyebrow raised in a questioning manner. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Lynus pushed away from the door as he answered, “I’m hiding.”

“Hm?”

“They’re talking about me again,” Lynus explained as he folded his arms over his torso and shuffled awkwardly on his feet. “I didn’t even do anything…”

“Oh, let them be in awe of you,” Axel said as he stood up from his seat and walked over to Lynus, pulling him into his arms. He then pulled them both toward the bed and sat down, he resting his back against the bed headboard while rested against his chest. “We’ve never encountered anything like it before.”

“…Fine,” Lynus murmured as he pressed himself closer to Axel, snuggling comfortably against him. Axel looked good in his armour, mighty and powerful. But Lynus preferred him in his casual clothes. He was easier to touch and hold this way, you see.

“You really are amazing,” Axel commented as he fingers gently massaged the back of Lynus’ neck, making Lynus release a low hum at the feeling. “And so are your healing abilities.”

Lynus was momentarily surprised by that distinction. Usually it was one or the other, and only after he used his healing abilities. “You think so?” he asked, tilting his head back to look up into Axel’s face.

And Axel smiled down at him, an arm wrapping securely around his waist. “Yeah.”

“…You know, when Dr Stiles said that I would be of more use in the Labyrinth, helping an explorer give birth wasn’t what I had in mind,” Lynus said as he lazily trailed his fingertips along the collar of Axel’s shirt.

“I don’t think he had that in mind, either,” Axel said as he chuckled, threading his fingers through the hair at the back of Lynus’ head.

“There are people in need of healing everywhere, huh?” Lynus commented, his fingers slowly moving from toying with the collar of Axel’s shirt to flitter his fingertips over his jutting collar bone.

Axel trailed a finger up Lynus’ spine, making him shiver. “We’re lucky to have someone like you, aren’t we?”

Lynus lightly poked Axel’s cheek. “Charming,” he said, smiling. “I’m not comfortable with people fussing over me. But…” a light flush settled across his features. “I guess its ok for you to spoil me.”

Axel laughed as he took Lynus’ hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing his fingertips. He then kissed his palm, then his wrist. A fluttering warmth appeared in Lynus’ chest when he felt the hand behind his head slowly pull him forward, his face inching closer to Axel’s. His eyes slipped closed to their own accord when he felt Axel’s breath against his lips. A moment later Axel’s mouth was against his, kissing him deeply.

Lynus gasped before moaning softly when Axel’s tongue brushed against his own. He gripped at the front of Axel’s shirt with one hand, the other still in Axel’s tender hold, and pressed himself closer to him. He kissed back timidly, tilting his head slightly to the side in order to allow Axel more access.

The hand in Lynus’ hair slipped down the back of his neck, moving across his back to grip at his shoulder, pulling him even closer. He released his hold on Lynus’ hand to wrap an arm around Lynus’ waist so that he could hold him tighter.

Momentarily parting to breath, Lynus slipped his hands up Axel’s chest, to frame his face and thread his fingers through his short red hair. He sighed with a sense of contentment as they brought their lips back together. He shivered a mere moment later when he felt Axel’s hands slip down his sides, his fingers lightly playing with the waistband of his pants.

He wasn’t entirely sure where this was going, but he…

A sudden knock at the door forced the two to abruptly pull back from each other. Startled, Lynus felt himself blushing fiercely when he realised his position. He was pressed up against Axel’s chest, in between his legs with his arms wrapped around his neck.

Silently, Lynus and Axel disentangled themselves from each other, both of them somewhat annoyed at the interruption. When Lynus scrambled off of Axel, the red-haired Landsknecht slipped off the bed and over to the door. And he opened it, mildly irritated, but tried not to let it show.

“Ah, Axel.” It was Hamza. He smiled politely as he stood casually in the threshold of the room. “I take it Lynus is here as well?”

“Yes?” Lynus replied in a rather flustered manner as he brushed down his shirt in a fidgeting manner.

Hamza raised an eyebrow at him in a questioning manner, while his facial expression stayed politely blank. “You have a visitor,” he said as he stepped to the side.

“Oh!” Lynus muttered in surprise as another War Magus stepped forward. He was slightly older than Hamza, with grey hair and a single monocle over his left eye. “Mr Hedrick?”

He was the same War Magus whom Lynus assisted in the Labyrinth.

“I just wished to offer you my thanks once again,” Hedrick explained, gratitude quite potent in both his voice and posture.

Lynus smiled and nodded his head. “How is your daughter? And your grandson?”

“Both are fit and healthy,” Hedrick replied, smiling slightly at the mention of his grandson. “And, as you said, she received quite a lecture from Dr Stiles. We all did.”

“Yes, I can imagine,” Lynus said around a chuckle.

“He, somewhat, settled down when we explained the situation,” Hedrick continued to explain. “Dr Stiles, too, sends his thanks.”

Lynus bit back a groan. Great, now everyone at the hospital was going to know about this.

“We have asked Sitoth Trading to make a coat for you, as a gift for our gratitude,” Hedrick went on to say, completely oblivious to Lynus’ discomfort.

“Oh, there’s no need-” Lynus began to say, but Hedrick lifted a hand, silencing him.

“Shania insists,” he said, simply.

Axel unexpectedly poked Lynus in the middle of his back, causing him to tense and squeak out an automatic reply. “Ok!”

“It should be ready by tomorrow,” Hedrick said as he turned to leave, Hamza appearing as though he was ready to see him out himself. “The young lady, Abigail, insists that you be the one to pick it up.”

“She does love making new things,” Lynus commented before he offered his congratulations to Hedrick and his daughter, and said a simply goodbye.

“You,” Lynus said as Axel closed the door, having stayed silent during the whole conversation. “You didn’t have to poke me.”

“Got you to answer, didn’t it?” Axel said simply before a telling click was heard. He seemed to have locked the door. “Anyway, where were we?”

Lynus didn’t verbally reply. He simply lifted his arms and wrapped them around Axel’s neck; his eyes slipping close as their lips met once more.

… … … … …

Having walked Lynus to the Sitoth Trading, Axel decided to wait for Lynus at the bar. He wasn’t certain how long Lynus was going to be in retrieving the gift that Hedrick and his guild had arranged to Lynus to pick up. Abigail and her father were more than happy to fuss over him and discuss what kind of properties and defence his new medical coat should hold.

Lynus, of course, was still rather uncomfortable with the attention, but, thankfully, he was starting to realise that it wasn’t all that bad to receive something once in a while. Be it praise or a gift.

After everything he’s been through, he deserved it. You’d think that someone who was forced to become a healer would be afraid or resentful of their talents. Not Lynus, though. It just proved how kind he truly was.

“Ah-ha!” A familiar and downright irritating voice boomed out the very moment Axel stepped into the Stickleback Bar. “There’s my rival now!”

“Rival?” Axel repeated, a frown immediately appearing on his face. “The hell?”

Standing before him, his hand pointing at him in a challenging manner was Simmons. “I challenge you to a battle!” he loudly exclaimed.

“Ah…” Axel muttered as he scratched the back of his neck in a bored manner. “No.”

“What?” Simmons said, immediately looking deflated. “Why not?”

“Not interested,” Axel said simply as he stepped around Simmons, pretty much ignoring him. He walked over to a table where Macerio was at, who appeared to be arguing with his cousin, Tiffany, once again. They might be family, but they didn’t really get along that well.

“Come on!” Simmons urged with a whining tone, scurrying after him.

Removing his axe with one hand, Axel sat down heavily in a chair next to Macerio, the brown-haired gunner seemingly happy to see him. “No,” he said as he rested his weapon against the back of his chair.

Simmons scrambled to sit in a chair on next to Axel, holding his hands in front of him in a pleading manner. “Please?”

“No.”

“One little battle?”

“No.”

“Just one itsy bitty little battle?”

“No.”

“Argh! You’re so mean!” Simmons whined and sulkily folded his arms over his chest and pouted.

Axel rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “Whatever.” He was just happy that the idiot was silent now.

“Dammit,” Tiffany muttered under her breath as she bit the tip of his thumb. “Axel is so cool. Why can’t our Landsknecht be as cool and strong as him? Axel is so awesome. And handsome. And-”

Gerald snorted as he took a long swig of his beer. Despite it being the middle of the morning, he seemed to already be a little bit tipsy. Hopefully he won’t get completely drunk. He was a loud and obnoxious drunk.

“Your fangirling is showing,” he muttered dryly.

“I’m not a fangirl!” Tiffany hissed lowly. “I just appreciate talent, that’s all.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I wanted to battle…” Simmons sniffled, sounding as though he was on the brink of crying.

“Shut up, Simmons,” Gerald snapped before taking another swig.

“Do you think Axel will agree to join our team?” Tiffany suddenly asked, leaning in close to Gerald. It appeared as if she had whispered that, but it was certainly loud enough for Axel to release an undignified snort and Macerio to throw his head back on a long suffering sigh.

“Not likely,” Axel muttered, silently appalled at the thought. There was no way he was ever going to leave the Guardians for this mob.

“They’ve been like this all morning…” Macerio said, he, too, sounding alarmingly close to crying.

“The challenges of being so popular, hm?”

“Hamza?” Axel turned to look over his shoulder, his arm slung casually over the back of his chair. “Where have you been?”

“Training a rookie,” Hamza said simply, choosing to stand instead of taking a seat.

Axel raised an eyebrow. “Still? “

Hamza, however, chose to ignore that. “Your friend is quite popular as well,” he commented.

“Lynus?” Axel said, a smile tugging on his lips. “What has he done now?”

“Oh, nothing new,” Hamza replied with a chuckle, his hand resting casually on his hips. “The hospital was just asking about him. No surprise that they heard everything about the newborn.”

Yeah, no surprise at all.

“Axel!”

Hearing Lynus call his name, Axel lazily lifted his leg and planted his boot in Simmons’ side, kicking him abruptly and harshly off his seat. As Simmons fell to the side with a loud crash, Axel hooked his boot around the leg of the chair and dragged it closer toward him.

“Thanks,” Lynus said as he sat down in the chair Axel arranged for him, ignoring the way Simmons was sprawled out on the ground, muttering darkly under his breath.

Brushing a few stray strands of his orange hair from his violet eyes, Lynus smiled brightly and somewhat excitedly as he fiddled with the sleeves of his new medical coat. It was white, of course, the sleeves folded up to his elbows and held there with gold clips and had a pitch black belt which was left undone around his waist.

Unlike Lynus’ previous coat, this one fitted him rather well. His first coat was large and worn, rather cumbersome for the slender male. The sleeves were long and he was always, without much thought, pulling them up.

But now it folded effortlessly against his body, resting smoothly on his skinny shoulders.

“I’ve got my new coat,” Lynus said as he pivoted in his seat, turning his full attention to Axel. “Abigail said that although it’s lightweight, it has great defence.”  
   
“It suits you,” Axel said sincerely, smiling warmly at him.

“I like it,” Lynus admitted with a light flush on his cheeks. “It feels comfortable.”

“They’ve gone into their own little world again…” Macerio commented, somewhat amused.

Tiffany, however, sounded bitter. “What does that scrawny runt got that I don’t have?” she grumbled, slightly venomous.

Axel’s eye gave a sudden twitch. Wordlessly, he reached out behind his chair, snared the handle of his axe. In one fluid movement he hoisted it over his head to imbed it in the middle of the table everyone had gathered around, not at full force, but enough to make a point.

Everyone reeled back in shock, but no one uttered a word as Axel glared at Tiffany. “Did you say something?”

“N-no!” Tiffany immediately squeaked as she scrambled out of her seat, her arms flailing. “Nothing! Just mumbling incoherently out loud! Nothing insulting at all!”

“I should hope so,” Axel murmured in a rather warning tone before he removed his axe and stood up, placing it on his back in it’s usually place.

“Axel?” Lynus said in a softly concerned manner.

“Nothing,” Axel said, his expression softening as he turned to look at Lynus. “I just saw a bug that needed to be taken care of.”

Lynus tilted his head to the side, blinking cutely as Axel took him by the arm and tugged on him gently to stand up. “A bug?”

“…A bug?” Tiffany also murmured, looking undeniably frazzled.

Expertly ignoring everyone else, Axel wrapped an arm around Lynus’ shoulders. “Let’s go.”

Lynus continued to look mildly confused, but after a moment he shrugged and happily pressed himself against Axel’s side. “Sure.”

Tiffany watched the two leave, her face pale and her posture tense and jumpy. “Did he just refer to me as a…?” she trailed off, not entirely sure what had just occurred.

“A bug,” Gerald readily offered, taking a hold of his beer.

“A bug,” Cass stated from behind the bar, grinning widely.

Kerri, the female Hexer, floated by. “A bug,” she readily informed before disappearing as suddenly as she appeared.

Hamza shook his head, a small smile on his lips. “A bug,” he said.

“Yep! He called you a bug!” Simmons happily exclaimed in great amusement from where he was sitting on the floor. Even _he_ caught onto Axel’s ‘subtle’ insult. “Hehehe.”

Tiffany bristled dramatically before she spun around to plant her boot in Simmons’ face. “Shut up, Simmons!” she yelled, her face red from embarrassment.

Macerio, who had been unnervingly quiet, abruptly burst out laughing. He clutched at his stomach before falling off of his chair, hitting the floor and lying there. “Bwahahaha! That was-! Oh shit! I…can’t breathe!”

Hamza chuckled and shook his head once more. It was rather amusing.


	35. Chapter 35

Stepping onto the Third Stratum, Lynus wasn’t expecting such a drastic change. The orange and golden hues of autumn, the warm but still crisp air were replaced by bitter cold and pure white. The atmospheric differences between floor 10 and 11 were simply intense.

“Is this…snow?” Lynus murmured as he looked around in awe. White as far as the eye could see. Mounds of snow and chucks of ice surrounded bare trees and stone pillows that were icy blue in colour. Flakes of snow drifted around them slowly. Where the snow was coming from, he had no idea.

He had never seen snow before. He had read about it in his books (especially in regards the medical complications and physical restrictions), but had never encountered such a natural event before. He knew that snow was cold. It was flakes of ice, after all. He just wasn’t expecting it to be this cold. Despite the fact that he had been advised to dress warmly, he was shivering, his breath coming out in short puffs of mist.

Lynus folded his hands into the sleeves of his coat and unconsciously moved closer to Axel, who in turn slipped an arm around him in offer of some warmth.

“So this is why you three were acting vague the other day,” Axel said as he looked around him in the same awe as Lynus.

“Somewhat unbelievable, yes?” Jhon commented with a knowing smile. “It’s hard to believe the temperature could change so much.”

It really was remarkable how different this stratum was compared to the first too.

“We most certainly weren’t expecting this…” Tobyn murmured as he pulled his scarf up further on his face to push back the bitter cold.

“Yup. It’s still freezing!” Macerio grumbled as he wrapped his arms around himself.

“You can understand why we had to turn back rather quickly,” Jhon said as they began to trek through the snow, taking it slowly that Tobyn could scribble on his parchment, making notes on their paths. “Shen, in particular.”  
   
“Wouldn’t be difficult to get frostbite, that’s for sure,” Axel commented, still looking at their surroundings, assessing for any possible threats. “Have you encountered any monsters?”

“No, not yet,” Tobyn answered, glancing up from the map to look around. “But it’s highly likely we haven’t encountered any of them before.”

“True enough.”

“There isn’t much colour here, but it’s still very beautiful,” Lynus couldn’t help but comment as they left the area where the Geomagnetic Field was located, taking a thin path.

“What the hell?” Macerio suddenly bellowed as they encountered a wall made of chucks of ice. He pointed over it, a look of annoyance on his face. “The stairs to the next floor are right there!”

Immediately turning their attention in the direction that Macerio was pointing in, the other four members of their party were intensely surprised to see that, he was right. There was indeed a set of ascending stairs just a few feet away, on the other side of the wall. A wall that wasn’t exactly tall or unpassable.

“Well,” Axel murmured as he eyed of the staircase with a great sense of distrust. “That’s a little suspicious.”

“It might be easy to access,” Jhon said as he eyed off the large chucks of ice, no doubt noting that it should be hard to clumber over. “But we shouldn’t move on without mapping this floor.”

“Right,” Tobyn murmured as he scribbled furiously at his parchment. “At least we know which direction to head in.”

After making the notes needed, Tobyn moved to press on, the others dutifully following. Even with Macerio lagging behind, muttering about how utter annoying it is to see the staircase to the next floor but unable to reach it.

The Labyrinth was mocking them, he insisted.

He didn’t have much time to mull over it, though. As they turned a corner, a mound of snow unexpectedly erupted with a flurry of movements. Little humanoid shapes of ice began to scurry about.

Immediately reacting, Axel pushed Lynus to the back of the party as he stepped forward, his axe at the ready. Grasping his own weapon, Lynus watched carefully, not paying too much attention to the monsters themselves, but rather the warriors fighting them. After all, their health and safety was paramount.

At first, Axel and the others were cautious, not rushing into things as they hadn’t encountered these types of monsters before. However, with Tobyn’s expertise, they were able to quickly learn what was effective and what wasn’t.

After the furious movements of random battle had died down, weapons being lowered cautiously, Lynus quickly checked over the four warriors for any injuries, minor or not. They were fine, thankfully. Not a scratch, despite momentarily being caught by surprise.

“You alright?” Axel asked Lynus as he holstered his axe. “Didn’t catch a stray attack?”

“No, I’m fine,” Lynus replied as he holstered his own mace, attaching it to his bag. He soon shivered, though, as a bitter breeze practically cut through him and he wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to quell his shivering. “Just a little cold.”

Axel reached up and removed the beige scarf that was around his neck. “Here,” he said as he wound his scarf around Lynus’ neck and shoulders. “You need this more than me.”

Lynus smiled as he ran his fingers over the soft material, lifting it up to rub against his cheek and taking in a deep breath. The scarf had Axel’s scent, which in turn made him feel a little bit more safe and protected. “Thanks,” he said, smiling warmly.

Axel smiled in return and parted his lips, seeming as though he wished to make a comment of some kind. But he was rudely interrupted by an ungodly sound. Like a roar by some prehistoric beast. The ground shook from the force. Even the air around them seemed to tremble.

Everyone became still and silent, Lynus reaching out to Axel subconsciously, incredibly startled. That sound…it was almost felt as though it rattled his bones.

“…What was that?” Macerio whispered, almost afraid to say anything as he glanced around.

Tobyn was crouched down in the snow, his monster index held tightly in his hands. He slowly closed the book, though, looking around at their surroundings and Jhon edged closer to him.

Then, the trees directly behind where Tobyn was shook violently with the sound of splintering wood and broken branches. A mere second later, something appeared. A greyish blur. It shot out of the tree line, a roar rippling through the air…and seemed to be heading directly at Tobyn.

“Shit!”

Before Tobyn could turn around, reacting defensively in anyway, Jhon was in front of him. With one hand grasping Tobyn’s shoulder, the other lifting his shield, Jhon reacted so swiftly. He pushed Tobyn effortlessly to the side, out of the way of danger.

A loud, sicking crack rung out as the enormous beast collided with Jhon’s shield. It had been moving so fast, so powerfully, that not even study, strong Jhon was able to withstand the force. Everything seemed to move so slowly as Jhon was thrown backwards a good few feet, skidding effortlessly over the snow and slamming back against a tree.

“Jhon!” Tobyn yelled, blatantly distressed.

“Lynus!” Axel said as he pushed Lynus to the side, placing himself between the unmoving Jhon and the growling beast. “Go!”

Lynus immediately understood what Axel wanted him to do and he wasted no time in making his way to Jhon’s side.

“Where the hell did this thing come from?!” Macerio yelled as he pulled out his weapon, taking potshots at the monster in order to distract it.

Lynus knew that if he was in any kind of danger himself, Axel would let him know, so he was able to focus his full attention on the blond Protector lying in the snow before him. His first instinct was to check for his vital signs. Placing a hand on his pulse point in Jhon’s neck, Lynus tilted his head and pressed his ear against his chest.

He breathed a small sigh of relief.

Jhon was breathing and had a steady heartbeat. Good. That meant that his heart was still pumping and he was still getting oxygen, which meant that he was alive. Any other injuries, Lynus would be able to deal with. As soon as he found them.

Carefully, Lynus inspected the Protector, starting with the most crucial places; chest and head. But as he gently rolled Jhon’s head to the side, he grimaced.

Crap, there was blood dripping from his temple and leaving a steady pool in the snow. He must have struck his head, but in which manner? Was the force from the monster? Or did he hit something when he was thrown back? It was important to know the difference. If it was caused by the monster, then he might have a fractured skull as the force was strong enough to throw him back.

But if he struck something on the ground, then perhaps it was only just a flesh wound.

“Jhon,” Lynus said as he placed his hands on either side of Jhon’s head, keeping him still. “Can you hear me?”

At first he received no response, Jhon unnervingly still and silent. Not good. Did he have a brain injury? Or was he simply unconscious due to shock of the attack? Before Lynus could properly assess his injuries, he had to first wake him up.

“Jhon?” Lynus tried again, gently patting the side of his face.

Then, Jhon’s brow furrowed, his face creasing into an expression of discomfort. He suddenly lurched, rolling to the side as he started coughing. Although startled by his reaction, Lynus was also slightly relieved. Jhon was just coughing, not heaving or throwing anything up. No blood was coming out. He must be feeling winded and disorientated.

“Ugh,” Jhon grunted and made an attempt to move, his limps a little shaky and unresponsive.

“Keep still,” Lynus ordered as he latched onto Jhon as he hadn’t had the chance to inspect his back yet. “Let me heal your injuries first.”

He won’t be able to give Jhon the thorough check over that he needed, not out in the middle of a frozen forest with a dangerous monster on the loose. But he could give him the attention he needed so he wouldn’t make his condition any worse or impede his movements.

“Tobyn!?” Axel’s voice, full of concern and disbelief, caused both Lynus and Jhon to abruptly turn their attention to the battle. “What are you doing?!”

Immediately locating the blond-haired Survivalist amongst the battlefield, Lynus could see him purposely separate himself from the party, firing arrow after arrow in order to gain the monstrous beast’s full attention as he backed away. Even from a distance, Lynus could see how pale but determined Tobyn appeared to be. He wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings; he was focused on the monster, his eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a thin line.

Lynus felt the fear grip at his chest. “What is he doing?”

“He’s…” Jhon murmured as he tried to push himself to move. “He’s trying to lead it away from us…”

Lynus immediately turned his attention back to Jhon, readjusting his hold on him. “Easy, don’t move.”

“Tobyn…” Jhon murmured as he shook his head resolutely. “I need…”

“You’re injured,” Lynus tried to argue back, but felt for certain that it would fall on deaf ears.

“They can wait,” Jhon said as he brushed Lynus’ hands off of him and struggled to his feet. “Tobyn is…”

Knowing that there was no way for him to argue with a man intent of protecting someone, all Lynus could do was jump to his feet and sling Jhon’s arm over his shoulders, uttering a cure spell as he did so. Although Jhon’s injuries needed individual attention, an overall cure spell would be enough for him to push past the threshold of pain and rely on his adrenaline.

Suddenly, Jhon grabbed Lynus by the shoulder and flung him backwards, away from him as he pushed himself forward. Lynus stumbled backwards, almost falling over. He managed to catch himself, though.

“Jhon!?”

Snapping his head up at the blatant fear and shock in Tobyn’s voice, Lynus nearly stopped breathing when he saw that Jhon had thrown himself in front of Tobyn yet again, his shield raised with one hand, the other pushing Tobyn to the ground.

“Let go, you idiot!” Tobyn yelled as he struggled against Jhon.

“D-don’t be so reckless,” Jhon hissed in return, keeping his gaze directly on the towering raptor like monster.

“You-!”

Jhon grimaced, gritting his teeth in determination as the monster roared against his shield, pushing down on it with its teeth bared. The monster had Jhon pinned to the ground, the very tip of its clawed foot immobilizing his leg.

It was not a good place to be!

“Stunner!”

Before Lynus, or anyone else, had the chance to react, Axel appeared just to the left of the monster’s head. He swung his axe, striking it as hard as he could. The axe seemed to resonate with a strange hum, the force causing the monster to tilt off kilter. With it off balanced, the monster fell to the side, its desire to take out both Jhon and Tobyn forgotten for the moment.

Axel’s stunner attack did just that – it stunned the beast.

Pushing himself forward, Lynus slipped on the snow next to Jhon. Not uttering a word, he lifted Jhon’s arm, slinging around his neck like before, he and Tobyn helped Jhon to his feet and began to drag him away from danger.

“This way!” Macerio suddenly yelled, waving his arms frantically in the air. “There are some doors we can hide behind!”

“Axel!” Lynus called back, glancing over his shoulder as Jhon struggled with his injuries.

“I’ll be right behind you!” Axel yelled his reassurance, springing back from the dazed and confused monster, before dashing around it and running over to them.

Axel was constantly looking over his shoulder, his weapon gripped tightly in his hands. He was keeping track of the monster that was slowly beginning to regain its senses. It was only a second later that it was back up on its feet, just as deranged and ruthless. Maybe even more so now that it’s pray was getting away.

“This way!”

Focusing forward, Lynus gritted his teeth as kept a firm grip around Jhon, helping him to limp through the snow. It seemed to take forever to reach a set of doors and soon as they were past the threshold, Axel skidded in next to them, grabbing one of the doors and slamming it shut. Macerio managed to push the other shut, resting his back against it as Axel placed a hand on each other, ensuring that it stayed shut.

He gave a strain grunt, though, when the doors suddenly bulged, indicating that the monster on the other side was still intent on chasing them.

“The hell?!” Macerio yelled, panic stricken as he dug his heels into the snow. “Why is it trying to get inside?”

“It’s…not after us, right?” Lynus asked, turning his attention to Tobyn as they carefully lowered Jhon to the ground, leaning him up against the wall of the small, three by three squared room.

“This one’s more aggressive than usual,” Tobyn murmured, shaking his head rather skittishly. “There must be something in here.”

“Are you two ok?” Lynus asked, calling out to the two warriors who were using themselves as a barricade.

“We can hold out for a little bit longer,” Axel gruffly answered, grunting as he focused on his task. “If it doesn’t stop soon, though…”

Axel didn’t need to finish that sentence. They couldn’t stay here and hope that the monster will simply give up. As strong as Axel was, they didn’t have much time.

“Do you think there is a shortcut?” Lynus asked, once again turning to Tobyn for answers.

“Let’s look,” Tobyn murmured before turning to give Jhon a stern look. “Stay here, don’t move.”

Jhon could only nod his head, beads of sweat sheening across his forehead. It was obvious that he was in pain. Lynus wanted to stay with him and offer some much needed healing, but two sets of eyes was better than one. They needed to find a way out – quickly.

Climbing to his feet, Lynus and Tobyn began to quickly search alone the walls, hoping for any kind of escape route. But as Lynus approached the back wall, he stumbled over something. There was a mound of twigs and feathers, formed and meticulously gathered in a neat circle.

Lynus knelt down and carefully shuffled around. When his fingers brushed against something round and smooth, he pulled back. “Tobyn!” he called out to their resident expect and indicated to the strange mess before him. “This is…?”

Tobyn quickly made his way over to Lynus and knelt next to him in the snow. He pushed away from of the twigs and branches, exposing an egg. A few of them, actually.

“It’s a nest,” Tobyn stated, sounding somewhat surprised. He then appeared thoughtful. “That explains everything.”

“That doesn’t explain everything!” Macerio’s shrilled, panic filled voice cut through the air. “How are we going to get out of this?”

“We either use the Warp Wire or try to slip behind it when we open these doors,” Axel suggested, his back and arms straining desperately to keep the doors shut.

“I vote for the Warp Wire,” Macerio immediately stated.

“Sounds good,” Jhon said through gritted teeth. “We’ve come far enough for today.”

“Agreed.” Tobyn plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out a single Warp Wire. “Let’s go.”

A flash of light invaded Lynus’ vision as Tobyn wasted no time in activating the Warp Wire. When it cleared they were sitting on the outskirts of town, the monster nowhere in sight. And no snow, either.

To say that the group was relieved would be an understatement. Whoever created Warp Wires was a genius!

Lynus didn’t have much time to feel relief, though. He quickly remembered that Jhon was still very injured and needed medical help pronto.

“Axel, can you help Jhon?” Lynus said as he quickly reverted to caretaker mode. “Tobyn, you too. I don’t want him putting any more pressure on that leg.”

Hefting his axe back onto his back, Axel made his way over to Jhon. Slinging Jhon’s arm over his shoulder, Axel wrapped an arm around his waist and lifted him up off the ground effortlessly. Tobyn immediately pressed himself against Jhon’s other side, grabbing his damaged shield to carry so Jhon didn’t have to.

Relying heavily on both Axel and Tobyn, Jhon slowly began to move, wincing whenever he put pressure on his leg.

“Where to?” Axel asked as he adjusted his grip on Jhon, taking practically all of his weight himself.

“Let’s take him to the inn, first,” Lynus said. The hospital would be a good place for him to be, but the inn was closer. And Jhon would feel more comfortable there.

“I’ll race ahead,” Macerio suggested, desperately wanting to be useful in some way.

The trek back to the inn was a slow one, but with Lynus using Salve in order to give Jhon some relief from the pain, while granting both Axel and Tobyn strength to continue, they managed to stagger into the inn’s lobby without causing further pain.

It was no surprise that Hamza was the first person they saw. Macerio was with him, looking breathless and ragged, as if he had just explained everything that had happened. Hamza immediately looked them over, his relief to see them standing was palpable. And so was his concern.

“Jhon?”

Jhon managed a smile. “I’m ok,” he said.

“I’ll look after him,” Lynus stated firmly before he ushered Axel and Tobyn to take Jhon to his room which was, thankfully, on the ground floor.

Those injuries had waited long enough.


	36. Chapter 36

Stumbling into the room, Axel helped Jhon limp over to the bed as Tobyn tried to clear the area, giving Lynus space to do his work, as well to make Jhon comfortable. After that he began to aide Jhon in the removal of his armour as Axel moved to step outside in order to push the other concerned guild-members back.

Lynus lifted his bag from his shoulder and dropped it onto the foot of the bed. Everything he needed - bandages and medicine – was right there. But first, an inspection. He needed to see what he was dealing with.

“Lie on your back,” Lynus instructed Jhon, who managed to do so while brushing off Tobyn’s hands.

Lynus could easily see the grimace on Jhon’s face and the pain in his eyes. Yet, like the first time he had met him, he refused to show it. Jhon didn’t want to cause Tobyn to worry, so was swallowing down his pain in order to give the blond-haired Survivalist a reassuring look.

While it was admirable as it was, Lynus would not be able to fully assess Jhon’s condition when he’s trying to comfort Tobyn.

“Tobyn?” Lynus said gently. “I think Hamza would like your opinion on that monster.”

Tobyn gave him this…startled and desperate look. It appeared that he didn’t want to leave, and yet he seemed uneasy. Almost as if he was afraid to see what kind of injuries that Jhon might have sustained while protecting him.

That was why Lynus was asking him to leave. Not because he was in the way, but because he was still upset by what happened.

“I’m ok,” Jhon said as he offered him a small smile. “Go.”

Tobyn glanced over at him, simply taking a moment to look at him. Finally, he nodded. “…Ok.”

“I’ll call if I need any help,” Lynus comforted, placing his hand on Tobyn’s arm and giving a light squeeze.

Tobyn turned to look at him for a moment before nodding silently again. Lynus watched until Tobyn left, closing the door quietly behind him, before he turned his attention to Jhon and began to fuss over him.

With Tobyn out of the room, the tension on Jhon’s form dissipated and he sunk against the sheets on his bed. He looked pale, the grimaces of pain on his face far more potent.

Lynus frowned as he checked him over, starting with the gash on his forehead that had managed to clot thanks to the brief periods of healing he managed to do while fleeing.

“Do you want to go to the hospital?” he asked him.

“Do you think I should?”

“Only if you think you’ll feel more comfortable,” Lynus said as he took an antiseptic wipe from his bag, carefully cleaning around the wound on his temple. “You’re ok with just me?”

Through a wince, Jhon managed a smile. “I’ll be fine here.”

“Ok,” Lynus said, returning the smile.

They lapsed into silence as Lynus cleaned up the blood from Jhon’s temple, noting that while the gash was rather jagged and uneven, it wasn’t all that deep. From the small pieces of earthy debris, Lynus was satisfied that it wasn’t from the monster, but rather when Jhon was thrown backwards.

Should be easy enough to heal.

Now, onto that leg of his.

Peeling back the armour, Lynus was surprised to note that the steel armour was not as damaged as one would have expected. It was somewhat reassuring, to be honest. It meant that Jhon’s leg did not take the full weight of the monster. Perhaps the soft snow was a factor?

“Can you move your toes?” Lynus asked as he carefully ran his fingers down Jhon’s calf and shin. There was no obvious breaks and while the limb was swollen (no surprise, really), there were no recognizable distortions. “Where does it hurt?”

“My knee, mostly,” Jhon replied, wincing when he curled his toes and rolled his ankle to show that he had rather a good range of motion.

Lynus placed a hand on his kneecap while he reached down to seek out the pulse in Jhon’s foot with the other. At first, he couldn’t find it and he searched around a little. Thankfully, though, he was able to locate a pulse at the bottom of his foot. Although the limb was slightly cold, it wasn’t anything that caused Lynus great concern. He had a pulse, so blood was getting down there.

So that meant no pinched vessels.

Focusing his attention on the patella, or kneecap, he immediately noticed that it seemed a little loose and wobbly. Maltracking would be the medical term.

“I think your kneecap popped out but popped back in,” Lynus explained. “It’s going to be sore for quite a while.”

Jhon pressed his lips together tightly. “A dislocation?”

“Close, but not fully,” Lynus replied. “Still would have hurt like hell when it happened.”

Jhon gave a half chuckle, half groan. “No kidding.”

“I don’t think your injuries are too serious,” Lynus stated after ensuring that Jhon’s only injuries were his left leg and the wound on his temple. Lucky, considering what he had been through. “Your leg and head I’m worried about, though. How’s your vision? Blurry? Seeing double?”

“Blurry.”

“Ok,” Lynus nodded his head, gently prodding at the skin of Jhon’s head and neck. “I can’t sense any fractures, which is very good. You appear to have a concussion, though. Stage 1. Not too serious, but serious enough.”

“I won’t be exploring for a while, huh?” Jhon commented, his eyes looking quite tired and droopy.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Lynus muttered, almost daring Jhon to refute him in some way.

Instead, Jhon simply chuckled and closed his eyes. He appeared tired, Lynus’ gentle healing easing his pain for the moment. Sleep would be good for him, but he had a concussion. He needed to stay awake for a little while longer.

“You scared the hell out of him, you know?” Lynus commented as he strapped up Jhon’s knee and leg. It was obvious who he was referring to.

“Yeah,” Jhon breathed, a sense of guilt in his voice. “I just reacted.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Lynus interrupted him while a knowing smile. “It’s what you do, isn’t it?”

Jhon peered up at him through one eye. “Tobyn can be a bit reckless at times,” he said with a sigh. “He’s a Survivalist, I understand that. But…ever since his mentor…”

Jhon trailed off, wanting to say more, to speak his mind, but was respectful as the information he was about to tell Lynus wasn’t really his to tell. But Lynus had already heard the tale of Tobyn’s mentor.

“He’s mentioned him to me,” Lynus said, getting a rather surprised look in return. “It kinda came up in conversation.”

“He did?”

Lynus nodded his head before smiling. “You really worry about him, don’t you?”

Jhon was silent as he stared up at the ceiling. He then sighed, reaching up with his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I just want him to understand that he deserves protection,” he unexpectedly confessed. “Ever since his mentor died, he’s been adamant that he won’t take anyone with him should he meet the same fate. He’s always got to do things on his own.”

Lynus allowed Jhon to simply talk, telling him things he had, no doubt, been trying to get through to Tobyn for a while. Gently finishing the wrappings around Jhon’s leg and knee, Lynus sat on the edge of the bed.

“…Tobyn doesn’t want to feel responsible for putting someone else in danger,” Lynus commented, recalling his previous conversation with the Survivalist. “But, keep trying. He’ll see himself as worthy one day.”

Jhon sighed again, giving Lynus the indication that he knew what Tobyn was thinking quite well. “Yeah.”

Lynus placed his hand on Jhon’s arm in a reassuring manner. “Well, I’ve done all I can for now,” he said. “You need rest, and quite a bit of it. I’ll inform Hamza and the others that you’ll be fine so they won’t worry. We can’t have anything happen to our Protector.”

“Make sure you tell Tobyn that, ok?” Jhon requested.

“I will,” Lynus replied as he gave Jhon’s arm a slight squeeze before he removed his hand and stood up, gathering his belongings while leaving out a couple bottles of medicine for just in case. “I’m sure he’ll be seeing you for himself. Get some rest.”

Slipping his bag onto the usual place on his shoulder, Lynus turned to give Jhon one last look, noting with some relief that he wasn’t as pale as before. He didn’t seem to be in too much discomfort, either.

Which meant he was going to be all right. It might take a few days, a week even, before he could stand on that leg of his. But knowing how strong and determined Protectors were, he’ll recover in no time.

Stepping out of the room, Lynus wasn’t at all surprised to see Tobyn lingering just outside the door, leaning on the wall opposite. He was still dressed in his adventure gear, light smears of blood on his clothing and on his face. The blood wasn’t his, though.

“Tobyn?”

Pushing away from the wall he was leaning against, Tobyn turned to face him. “…How is he?”

Lynus smiled comfortingly. “His only injuries are an injured knee, a cut to his temple and a concussion. Remarkable, really.”

Not surprisingly, Tobyn’s shoulders sagged with relief. What did surprise Lynus, though, was when Tobyn unexpectedly and wordlessly walked over to him and wrapped his arms around Lynus’ neck and shoulders.

Lynus was speechless as Tobyn hugged him, pressing his face against the curve of his neck. However, a smile returned to his lips and he gently returned the hug when he felt a light drop of moisture against his skin.

While Tobyn appeared endlessly annoyed with Jhon, he still cared about him in return. He was just afraid to show it. He didn’t want to get attached because of his fears.

“He’s going to be ok,” Lynus stated without hesitation. “He has a minor concussion, so will need someone to observe him. Do you think you can?”

“Sure,” Tobyn murmured as he pulled back, making no attempt to hide the redness of his eyes. “Thank you.”

“Go,” Lynus said as he gently pushed Tobyn toward the room he shared with Jhon. “It’ll be all right.”

Tobyn nodded before quickly making his way over to the door leading to his room. He seemed rather hesitant at first, but he soon pushed the door open and stepped inside, the door swinging shut behind him.

Lynus took a moment to gaze at the door, still smiling softly. He was glad that everything had worked out, that it wasn’t as tragic as it could have been.

Knowing that Jhon was ok, Lynus turned away. The other guild members would be most interested to know of Jhon’s condition, no doubt startled by the fall of their powerful protector.

… … … … …

It took Lynus about an hour to reassure the others that Jhon was going to be ok, that he was able to get away with only a few injuries. Although they were concerned, they were also pleased to hear that Jhon was able to get away from an attack that should have been deadly with minimal injuries.

It only proved how strong Jhon truly was. And, in a way, that was also quite reassuring.

Still, Lynus was slightly worried. So, before he retired for the night, he went to check up on Jhon once more.

He approached the door and lifted his hand to knock. But, for some reason, he hesitated. He couldn’t hear anything inside and wondered that, perhaps, they were sleeping. Or was Jhon the one sleeping and Tobyn was simply watching over him?

Placing his hand on the door handle, Lynus slowly popped the door open and peered into the dark and silent room. Despite the dim lighting, he was able to make out two figures on the bed. Jhon was lying on his back, in the same position that Lynus had left him. But now he had Tobyn curled up on the bed next to him, Tobyn resting his head on Jhon’s shoulder while Jhon had an arm wrapped loosely around his shoulders.

Deciding that it would be best not to disturb them, sensing no discomfort from either of them, Lynus silently closed the door. He turned on his heel and made his way back to his room, where Axel was getting ready to retire for the night as well.

“Lynus?” Axel questioned softly as Lynus walked into the room.

Lynus let the door swing close behind as he wordlessly made his way over to Axel. He then lifted his arms and wound them around Axel’s neck, pressing himself against his chest. Immediately, Axel’s own arms moved to wrap around his waist, holding him close and pulled him into a kiss, one that Lynus was more than willing to return.

They didn’t say anything as words weren’t necessary when their actions spoke volumes. What happened today was frightening in retrospect. Jhon could have died. They all could have.

But they didn’t. They lived another day.

And that was worth celebrating, right?

… … … … …

“Hey, Jhon,” Axel greeted as he jogged over to the blond as he stumbled out of his room for the first time in a couple of day. He reached out and took him by the arm, placing it around his neck as he helped Jhon to walk without putting too much pressure on his leg. “How are you feeling?”

“A little stiff, if I am to be honest,” Jhon answered, giving Axel a grateful smile as he leaned heavily against him. “I needed to get up and move around.”

“Don’t push yourself or you’ll have both Lynus and Tobyn hovering over you,” Axel retorted teasingly as he helped Jhon to the empty tea room, a room that seemed to undisputedly belong to the Guardians now.

Jhon rolled his eyes, but was still smiling nevertheless. “Where are they anyway?”

Axel couldn’t help but chuckle. It was obvious that neither Lynus nor Tobyn were anyway in the Inn as there was no way Jhon would have been able to leave his room on his own if they were.

“Lynus is at the hospital looking for some crutches for you,” Axel explained as he helped Jhon to the couch, releasing his hold on him so that the Protector could get himself comfortable. “But knowing him, he’ll push himself into the middle of a medical emergency, so who knows how long he’ll be.”

Jhon chuckled at that as he leaned back into the cushions. He seemed pleased to hear that he could be receiving some form of walking aid in the near future, granting him the ability to walk around more. “And Tobyn?”

“He’s restocking his kit at the Stitoth Trading,” Axel finished as he plonked himself down onto the other end of the couch, his arm hanging casually over the back.

“The others are in the Labyrinth, I presume?” Jhon asked, although it didn’t really sound like a question, merely a confirmation.

“Steering well clear of that monster,” Axel answered before noting a slight sense of guilt and frustration in Jhon’s posture. It wasn’t all that surprised, though. Explorers were a unique breed and don’t like sitting still for very long. “Doesn’t hurt to have a few days off.”

Jhon gave him a wary smile before muttering something almost incoherent under his breath. “At least the girls will leave me out of any further matchmaking attempts…”

Axel furrowed his brow, not entirely sure he heard correctly. “Wait…Matchmaking?”

The look of surprise on Jhon’s face was almost comical. “Shit.”

Axel narrowed his eyes slightly. Jhon, the sophisticated and polite white-knight just swore. “…Explain.”

“Sorry,” Jhon said as he winced sheepishly and sunk into his seat in a defeated manner. “Look, it was the girls’ idea. They made a request, with the persuasion of a reward, and Hamza accepted. Although he hasn’t done a single thing to help…”

At first all Axel could do was nod his head slowly, feeling somewhat bewildered. Was that really real? Who were they playing matchmaker for and why wasn’t he informed about any of it?

Wait…

“They asked you to play matchmakers for me and Lynus?” Axel asked, his eyebrows reaching up toward his hairline.

“Right,” Jhon answered, giving Axel a smile that said that he was finding it difficult to understand himself. “Although, Macerio seemed to be their chosen matchmaker to act on their behalf.”

Again, Axel grew silent. “…That would actually explain a lot,” he murmured.

The closet. The trek to the first floor of the labyrinth. Macerio shooting at Simmons. The private lunch for two – with music. Thinking back, it was actually quite obvious that something was going on.

“Have you collected the reward yet?” Axel found himself asking, somewhat amused by this revelation. Really? Two little pink-haired girls ordering around a guild of seasoned explorers was just plain funny.

“No,” Jhon said, sounding and looking grateful that Axel was taking the whole thing rather well. “They want undeniable proof.”

Once more Axel nodded his head slowly before shrugging carelessly. “Sure, alright,” he said as he pushed himself up to his feet.

“Pardon?”

“I’ll give them their proof,” Axel explained, once again giving a careless one shoulder shrug. “I don’t care.”

He then went in search for the two munchkins in question. They were sure to be lingering around somewhere. But with Macerio with Hamza and the others in the Labyrinth, they probably weren’t going to try anything. Just a bit of plotting and scheming maybe.

Walking through the lobby, Axel instead nearly collided with Tobyn, whom of which was looking frazzled and silently furious. Axel hid a grin when he realised the reason for Tobyn’s appearance. After all, he just came from the direction of the rented room he shared with Jhon.

“Hey, Tobyn,” Axel greeted, blatantly ignoring the Survivalist’s narrowed eyes. “Is Lynus back yet?”

“His room,” Tobyn tersely replied. “Now where is he?”

“Jhon? Tearoom.”

“How did he get there?” Tobyn practically hissed as he stormed off, no doubt ready to give Jhon an earful.

Axel had to chuckle to himself before resuming his search. It didn’t take him long to find Binah and Becky at all, the two girls in an empty room of the inn, scribbling on pieces of paper with pencils and crayons.

“You two,” Axel called out, immediately getting their attention. “Come here.”

Binah blinked at him, tilting her head to the side in confusion. She shared a quick glance with Becky before shrugging and hopping out of her seat, Becky doing the same.

“Why?” Binah asked as Axel led the two out into the hallway. It was just luck that the girls chose a room that was located quite close to his and Lynus’.

“I want to show you something,” Axel answered simply before stopping them and indicating for them to hide around the corner. “Now, stand here and don’t make a noise.”

Binah continued to look at him in confusion. “What is it?” she asked. She didn’t sound worried or concern, just curious. Ok, incredibly curious.

“I said, don’t make a sound,” Axel answered mysterious, smiling slyly.

The two girls shared a baffled and curious look before they huddled against the wall, peering around the corner in anticipation. Axel chuckled before he straightened himself and moved down the hallway, reaching the open door to his and Lynus’ room in a couple of easy strides.

Sure enough, just as Tobyn had so briefly told him, Lynus was in his room. He seemed to be fiddling with a set of crutches, adjusting the grip on them and seeing if the height would be enough for someone as tall as Jhon.

“Lynus.”

“Hey, Axel,” Lynus greeted easily with that beautiful smile of his. “I managed to get the crutches. I just have to adjust the height. He’s about your height, right? So-”

“Come here for a sec.”

“Hm?” Lynus uttered as Axel took a gentle hold on his arm, making him lose his grip on the crutches, letting them drop to the floor with a soft thud. He looked mildly confused as Axel tugged him just passed the threshold of their room. “Wha-?”

Lynus made the most adorable sound of surprise when Axel abruptly took him into his arms, his lips pressing against his, kissing him. At first, Lynus stiffened out of surprise before sighing and all but melting in Axel arms. He wrapped his arms around Axel’s neck, one hand grasping the back of his shirt while the fingers of the other threaded through Axel’s hair. He tilted his head ever-so slightly to the side, eagerly parting and moving his lips against Axel’s.

Axel ran his tongue over Lynus’ bottom lip before pulling back. He didn’t want the kiss to be too heated and passionate. Not in front of the two young girls.

Lynus panted slightly and when his eyes fluttered open, gave Axel a slightly bewildered look. “What was that-?”

A string of undeniable girlish giggling interrupted whatever Lynus was going to say. His eyes widen and a crimson blush immediately flared up on his cheeks. He made a soft, squeaky sound, pulling himself out of Axel’s arms. He spun around, his gaze instantly falling on the pair of pink-haired girls that were in the very same spot Axel had instructed them to stay.

“B-Binah? Becky?” Lynus spluttered.

“Yay!” Binah suddenly cheered as she skipped out of her hiding spot, rushing over to Lynus and throwing herself against him in a hug. “Finally!”

“H-huh?”

“You and Axel make a good couple,” Binah stated with unsuppressed glee, nuzzling her cheek against Lynus’ chest. “I’m so glad that you’re happy.”

“Binah…” Lynus murmured and Axel wisely took a step back, allowing the scene to unfold.

Axel watched as a smile that radiated nothing but warmth slipped across Lynus’ lips and he wrapped his arms around Binah, returning the hug. He then lifted his head, looking at Becky, who was also standing at the distance. He lifted a hand out toward her, gently indicating for her to come closer.

Shyly, Becky moved toward the two, not entirely sure what to do. When she was close enough, Binah unexpectedly snared her by the wrist, dragging her into the hug. With one arm wrapped around Lynus’ waist, Binah wrapped the other around Becky.

“Thank you,” Lynus said as he hugged both girls. “Both of you.”

“See?” Binah giggled as Becky began to relax, even going as far as hugging Lynus back. “Lynus is like a teddy bear.”

Axel came up behind Lynus, slipping his arms around him as well and rested his chin on Lynus’ shoulder. “He’s my teddy bear now. You can’t have him.”

Lynus laughed softly. “Axel…”

The girls giggled as well and removed themselves from the embrace. They muttered something about telling ‘mama’ before skipping off, their movements happy and joyous.

Lynus watched them leave, shaking his head. “What was all that about?” he asked, squirming in Axel’s arms, just so he could turn around to face him.

“They were playing matchmakers,” Axel said as he interlocked his fingers against the small of Lynus’ back.

Lynus slipped his hands along Axel’s arms before coming to a rest on his shoulders. “Matchmakers?”

“Jhon explained the best he could,” Axel explained, unable to stop a chuckle from escaping when he recalled how uncomfortable the Protector appeared in confessing. “Apparently, the girls roped the guys into helping.”

“…Well,” Lynus said slowly, letting the words seep in. He smiled after a moment of silence “That explains a lot actually.”

Again Axel chuckled. He said the exact same thing.

Giving Lynus a quick kiss to the lips, Axel looked him straight in the eyes. “You’re ok with this?”

“Yeah,” Lynus replied softly, easily, as he gently trailed a fingertip along Axel’s jawline. “I’m happy.”

Touching the side of Axel’s face, Lynus initiated the next kiss by leaning forward and gently brushing his lips against his. And Axel slipped his hands up Lynus’ back, more than willing to deepen the kiss.

However, the sound of someone giving a pained grunt caused the two to pull apart, Axel on alert and Lynus in healer mode. Reluctantly stepping away from each other, they peered down the flight of stairs and watched as Macerio limp into view, his hand on his back and his lips pulled into a thin line.

“Ugh,” he uttered.

“Macerio?” Lynus questioned as he quickly descended the stairs, reaching Macerio’s side in a matter of a couple of strides. “You guys are back. What’s wrong?”

Macerio turned and gave Lynus this purely disgruntled look. “The twelfth level sucks,” he answered simply.

“What happened?” Axel asked as he, too, descended the stairs, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

“Ice,” Macerio all but sneered. “Once you step on it, it’s hard to stop until you literally hit a fucking wall! We were bouncing all over the place.”

“Well,” Lynus said as he managed to stifle a chuckle at the mental image that short description would have produced. “Let me have a look at you. Where are the others? I’ll have a look at them, too.”

“They’re in the tea room,” Macerio said, indicating in the direction with the up turning of his chin. “Apparently, Hamza has something he needs to talk to us about. A mission or something.”

Axel frown and Lynus looked unsettled. “…Ok, I’ll check up on everyone there.”


	37. Chapter 37

“Is everyone here?”

As all the members of Guild Guardian piled into a room that was often used as a conference room at the inn, Hamza seemed satisfied that everyone was accounted for. He waited for everyone to get themselves comfortable before he spoke. Tobyn helped Jhon over to a seat, hovering near him like a concerned mother-hen. Macerio limped over to a chair and plonked himself down harshly, ignoring the look of disproval from Lynus. Axel rested his back against the wall, folding his arms over his chest as Chi-hung prowled in a circle near his feet before settling down onto the floor. Magnus instantly made his way over to the window while Shen took a vacant seat, sitting down with his legs folded and his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

When Hamza cleared his throat, Lynus scurried over to Axel’s side to stand next to him, while the others turned their attention to their leader. They all seemed slightly apprehensive with what he had to say. No surprise, really. There was no doubt that his guild was slightly worried about this mission, in regards to the last one.

It had the potential to have ended so badly, after all. It didn’t, thankfully, but it could have. 

“In contrast to our previous mission,” Hamza started, smiling in a reassuring manner. “This one merely has us soughing out a particular flower called Snow Blossoms. A request from Lady Gradriel herself.”

Lynus tilted his head toward Axel to whisper something to him. “Who’s that?”

“The Duke’s daughter,” Axel answered simply. “We’ve done a few missions for her before.”

“Ah.”

“It shouldn’t be overly difficult,” Hamza continued to explain. “But I believe the best party would be Axel, Lynus, Chi-hung, Shen and Magnus. Chi-hung because you should be able to navigate the ice better than anyone with your four legs.”

Chi-hung lifted his head and flicked his tail playfully in response, seemingly sniggering when Macerio was heard muttering something under his breath. While his words were mumbled, it wasn’t hard to imagine him cursing the ice.

“Axel and Shen, because the monsters on this level are still rather unknown to us.”

Axel glanced over in Shen’s direction, who peered up at him through one eye. They seemed to share a silent conversation before they nodded their heads once and at the same time. They then both turned their attention back to Hamza, waiting for him to continue.

“Magnus, your fire magic would be quite handy indeed.”

Magnus fidgeted with his scarf, his gaze flickering over to Shen, and Shen turned to look at him as well. His gaze was slightly piercing, as if daring Magnus to dispute Hamza’s words in some way. Instead, Magnus squeaked silently, rather cutely, before nodding his head in agreement.

“And Lynus, you are familiar with the care of natural ingredients from the Labyrinth. These Snow Blossoms are said to hold medical properties, so should be handle with the utmost care.”

For a moment, Lynus looked mildly surprised at being chosen, prompting Axel to snort and nudge him with his arm. Lynus then looked interested. Hamza had to hide a grin. He knew he would be intrigued the moment the words ‘medical properties’ were mentioned. Lynus was most certainly a devout Medic, wasn’t he?

“Is everyone agreeable with this?”

With a chorus of agreements from his guild, Hamza nodded his head, pleased with their response. He had thought long and hard about the best method and members for this request, so it was reassuring that they agreed and trusted his judgement.

“Ah, good. Now, the Mission of the Snow Blossoms will begin tonight as it is said to be the best time to pick these flowers. Now, spend the rest of the day getting yourselves ready.”

“Right.”

… … … … …

As the large grey and white stone doors slowly creaked open, Lynus was taken completely off guard by the sight that greeted them. A chamber, the largest he, and by the barely smothered gasped emitted by Axel was any indication, any of his guild-mates, had ever seen. It was virtually impossible to see the other side. Sure, it was late in the evening, verging on the very edge of night, so the lighting wasn’t the best.

But that size of the chamber wasn’t what took Lynus’ breath away. It was all the ice. When Macerio cursed the Ice Field, he wasn’t really expecting this much ice. It practically covered the entire floor.

It was rather…daunting, to be completely honest.

“This is a large ice field, isn’t it?” Lynus muttered as he and those with him lingered on the edge of the ice. They weren’t exactly sure what to do. It would be kind of reckless to step on the ice and slide all the way to the other side of the chamber, wouldn’t it?

Then again…what else could they do?

“This can be either really easy,” Axel murmured, not looking all that pleased. “Or really difficult.”

“W-we have a rough map,” Magnus said as he held the parchment in his hands. “It’s not as good as the ones Tobyn draws up, but he hasn’t been on this floor yet.”

“A rough map is still much better than no map at all,” Lynus said as he shuffled through the snow to stand by Magnus’ side so he could peer at the map as well. He noticed a couple of random red circles and question marks. “What are these? Potential locations?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Well, there’s nothing to do but get to work,” Axel said as he lifted his axe from his back. He wasn’t preparing for battle, though. No, he was hoping that he could use it to aid him to navigate the ice.

And as Shen unsheathed his katana, he hoped to do the same. He stabbed the sharp tip into the ice, testing it. He nodded after a moment, seemingly pleased that it should be able to hold them. “It’s strong enough.”

“Good,” Axel nodded before he rolled his shoulders, getting himself ready. “Lynus, Magnus, keep close to Chi-hung; he’ll help you to stay upright.”

Lynus adjusted his bag onto his shoulder, making sure his staff was securely strapped to his bag but within reach should he need to use it. Chi-hung happily squeezed himself between Lynus and Magnus, his beastly claws scraping against the ice. Lynus placed a steady hand on Chi-hung’s back and Magnus did the same.

“Here goes.”

Now ready, they stepped out onto the ice…

… … … … …

Well…

That was an experience. Not something that Lynus particularly enjoyed. It was unnerving having little to no control where you were going. The easiest way to stop was to literally run into a wall. It was incredibly frustrating to slide on past a door or corridor, unable to stop and turn around, knowing that just beyond it was the possibility of Snow Blossoms growing. It was also somewhat disorientating. It would be easy to get lost.

He understood completely and utterly why Macerio hated this floor so very much. There wasn’t much to like at all. Fortunately, they had a Warp Wire, so if anything should happen, or they get too lost, they could just warp out and try again.

Taking a moment to study their surroundings, Lynus was silently pleased that they had managed to manoeuvre themselves from the large ice field. Navigating the narrow passage ways were a lot easier for them. Sure, there were still patches of ice, but nothing like that massive lake.

A soft glimmer from the corner of his eye caught Lynus attention. He turned to look into an inauspicious nook, narrowing his eyes slightly. There was a little sparkle of light, like ice glinting in the moonlight. He had seen several sights before, but this one was slightly different. He wasn’t entire sure how or why, but it was a feeling he had.

While the others try to figure out where exactly they were on the map, Lynus silently made his way over to the dainty light, stepping over a sheet of ice to do so. There, nestled into the corner of the recess was a delicate white flower. He knelt down into the snow, studying the bloom. He hadn’t seen anything like it before. It had to be the Snow Blossom they were looking for!

Reaching into his bag, Lynus pulled out a specialise box Hamza had given to himself before their mission. It was where he was to place the Snow Blossoms should they find them. Opening the box up, he placed it aside as he reached for the flower. Being careful, he gripped the stem with his fingers and slowly pulled, choosing to take the roots and all. After all, it wasn’t certain which part was useful in medicine; petals, stem, roots.

Mustn’t be sloppy after coming all this way.

“Lynus?”

“Over here!” Lynus called over his shoulder as he carefully wrapped the bloom in a soft cloth and positioned it into the box. Placing the box back into his bag, Lynus pushed himself to his feet and quickly made his way back to the rest of his party. “I think I found a Snow Blossom.”

“Ah, that’s good,” Axel said. “We have one flower at least, so we won’t go back empty handed.”

“If there’s one, there has to be more,” Lynus said, trying to remain positive, while also very thankful that they were able to find one flower within the entire floor. Quite a blessing, really.

“Let’s keep looking,” Shen was the one to say.

Knowing that their time in the labyrinth that night was running short, they doubled their efforts. Getting over the complications of the ice, they were able to figure out the quickest way to get to the destination set on their map. And according to their map, there should be at least three more potential places for the Snow Blossom.

Literally slipping down a narrow passage way, Lynus unceremoniously stumbled into an out of the way nook, similar to the one he found the first Snow Blossom in. As he looked around, his gaze immediately fell upon the white, delicate flower shimmering beautifully amongst the snow and ice.

“I found another one!” he called to the others, quite pleased indeed. And as Axel and the others fought with the slippiness of the ice, Lynus carefully pluck the flower and placed it in the same container with the first. Finding two flowers were a relief. Should anything unexpected happen to the first, they had a spare.

Rechecking the map once more, they noticed that the other two places that were marked were located north, all the way on the other side of where they were. Still, just to be vigilant, there were going to do a quick check of the surrounding area and see what was behind the large set of doors located at the end of an ice path.

As soon as the doors opened, though, a young woman dressed in clothes similar to that of a War Magus was seen standing in the middle of a small chamber room. She looked completely out of place amongst the snow, but she seemed comfortable nonetheless. As though she had spent some time on these floors.

Lynus didn’t recognise her. Not even fleetingly.

“Hey!” the girl greeted, giving them an impish grin, almost as if she had been expecting them.

“Artelind?” Axel muttered, raising a questioning eyebrow at her. He sounded surprised, with an under hint of suspicion.

The young woman known as Artelind continued to smile, eyeing their party with a slightly cool and critical gaze. Lynus didn’t really like the way she was looking at them. It reminded him of the gazes he had received many times in the past. It was a sceptical, critical gaze. Sizing them up, wondering if they were any good. If they were worthy of an unknown task.

He was unable to suppress a shiver when those sharp eyes fell upon him. He had to fight the urge to hide behind Axel.

“Well,” she said, her impish appearance becoming slightly strained. “You’re a new face. I don’t think we’ve met.”

“This is Lynus,” Axel said, slightly defensive. “He’s our guild’s medic.”

“Lynus, huh?” Artelind replied with a click of her tongue, her eyes staring straight at him. “Hmm, I think I’ve heard of you.”

The apprehensiveness Lynus felt before turned into a sickly feeling of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. “…Heard of me?”

“Anyway,” Artelind unexpectedly dismissed him with an unconcerned wave. “It would be best if you don’t go any further than this yet. You’re on a mission, right? No Snow Blossoms around here. It would be better for you to complete your mission before ascending to the next floor, hm?”

Shen eyes narrowed. “How did you-?”

“See ya later!” Artelind interrupted as she turned her back to them and making her way to the other door. She tapped it with her staff, opening it before disappearing through.

Axel watched as she left. “…I don’t know what to make of her,” he confessed after a moment of silence.

“Who was that?” Lynus asked, still unnerved by the way she had been looking at him. He didn’t like it. It felt so intrusive, so demeaning…so similar to that of Avith’s glare.

“A fellow explorer,” Axel answered simply. He didn’t seem to like her very much, either. “She belongs to a Guild Esbet.”

“She seems…”

“Yeah,” Axel murmured in understanding, still watching the direction Artelind exited in with a suspicious gaze. He soon shrugged, though, pushing their conversation to the back of his mind. “Well, let’s retrace our steps. We still need to search for more Snow Blossoms.”

Lynus tried his best to forget the way Artelind seemed to be eyeing him up, the way her voice became slightly strained and her eyes narrowing when she learnt of his name. He didn’t know what to make of her, and honestly, he had no intention of getting to know her. There was a hidden motive behind her actions, and she reminded him so much of Avith.

Something to be greatly alarmed about.

As they were starting to navigate the lake of ice once more, Lynus was pulled from his musings when he heard Shen’s voice, sharp and loud. “Move!”

Before Lynus had the chance to react, he felt someone collide against his back, making him stumble forward and fall into the snow. As he tried to figure out what happened, he heard a sicking crack and a splash of water. Alarmed, he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and looked over his shoulder.

Immediately, his gaze collided with that of Magnus’, he being the one to have fell onto him. They shared a look, Magnus’ blue eyes wide with fear and confusion. What had just happened?

“Fuck!”

Hearing such a vulgar curse word tumble from Axel’s lips caused Lynus’ concern to increase intensely. He immediately turned his attention to Axel, finding the Landsknecht standing on the edge of the ice lake, looking out in a slightly panic manner. Following his gaze, a breath hitched in Lynus’ throat.

There was a hole in the ice.

“Shen!” Magnus cried as he scrambled to his feet.

“He’s fallen through the ice…?” Lynus murmured, shocked.

“Shit,” Axel cursed once more. He grabbed his axe and turned to their white-tiger companion. “Chi-hung, we need to get him out!”

Chi-hung growled lowly, his ears folding back. Unsheathing his claws, he skidded out onto the ice, his head low as he tried to find Shen through the ice. His head darted back and forth, from side to side, desperately searching. They didn’t know how deed the lake beneath the ice was or whether there was a strong undercurrent.

What they did know was that they had to find him. Now!

“Be careful,” Lynus whispered as he stood next to Magnus, clutching at his bag. He felt helpless, useless. There wasn’t anything he could do wait, watch and prayer.

“T…the ice is starting to freeze back over,” Magnus said as a look of sheer panic appeared on his face. “No!”

Lynus turned to look at the Alchemist. “Magnus?”

Without any warning, Magnus took a large step forward, his hands held out up against his sides. A frightening dark expression appeared in his eyes as an array of sparks were seen jumping from his upturn hands. “Inferno.”

“Axel!” Lynus immediately called out the very second he realised that Magnus was using an elemental attack, an indication of his desperation to get to Shen.

Noticing the sudden increase of temperature, Axel spun around to face them. His eyes were wide in what could only be described as fear. He managed to jump back as a line of fire snaked over the ice, sending steam into the air. Chi-hung had no choice but to flee as well. Despite having nothing to burn, nothing to sustain it, the flames continued to grow and dance across the ice.

The inferno was helping in melting the ice, but it was making the area incredibly unstable.

“Wah!” Magnus abruptly screamed, loudly, and clutched his head with his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut as he stumbled backwards, the fires around him flaring and waning uncontrollably. “N-no…”

“Magnus!” Lynus tried to make his way over to him in some attempt to calm him down, but the flames that licked around him was too strong. He couldn’t even get close.

Then a blade of fire suddenly broke through the ice, shattering it into tiny shards. A mere moment later a hand appeared through the hole, gripping at the edge of the ice. The golden armguards were instantly recognisable. It was Shen! He must have been able to use one of his elemental attacks.

Using his axe to ground himself, Axel reached out and snared Shen by the wrist. With a powerful tug, he was able to pull Shen half-way out of the hole. He sprawled across the ice, his skin a painful tinge of blue and he was gasping for breath.

Readjusting his grip, Axel was able to pull Shen completely out of the water and onto solid land. Lynus immediately scrambled over to him. There probably wasn’t much he could do. There were no physical injuries, nothing for him to heal. He was frozen and nothing but getting him warm could help.

But, despite being under water, in below freezing temperatures, Shen pushed Lynus to the side and climbed to his feet, his katana still held tightly in his hand. Wordlessly, he made his way over to the cowering and whimpering Magnus, who was far too lost in his own torment to notice him. Ignoring the flames dancing around him, he reached out and placed his hand behind Magnus’ neck, and with a sharp tug, pulled him over to him. He pressed Magnus’ face against his shoulder as he threaded his fingers through his blond-hair.

“Calm down,” he said, his voice low and stable. “Push the flames back.”

Magnus tensed, his eyes becoming wide. Slowly, the fires around him began to dim before being extinguished completely. He trembled as he grasped at Shen, sounding on the verge of crying as he whispered an apology over and over again. “…I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine,” Shen said firmly as he tenderly rested his chin on top of Magnus’ head.

Lynus turned to look to Axel, unsure of what had happened. Axel looked a little stunned himself. They stood silently in the background, simply watching as Shen tried to stoically comfort Magnus, who appeared to be in great distress.

However, it was heartening to see them like that. The members of this guild truly cared for each other. The support, the understanding, the care. Whatever trouble and turbulence they encounter together, they would get through it. No question about it.

“Let’s head back,” Axel said as he pulled a Warp Wire from his pocket.

“I’m fine,” Shen stated, almost in defiance.

However, Lynus immediately bristled. Oh no, he was having none of that. “No, you’re not fine,” he said, pointing a stern finger directly into Shen’s face. “Not only are you on the very verge of hypothermia, but you could get frost bite if you don’t get out of those wet, frozen clothes and warm up. We’re heading back to town, regardless of what you say.”

For the first time since Lynus had meet him, there was a look of surprise on Shen’s usually stoic face.

“Besides, we’ve found two Snow Blossoms,” Lynus carried on. “If there are any more to find, we’ll come back later. Lady Gradiel will just have to settle for this.”

Axel unexpectedly chuckled, somewhat amused. “Doctor’s orders,” he said as he activated the Warp Wire. “Let’s go.”


	38. Chapter 38

The sun was just about the rise as the party made their way back to Flaus Inn. A few early risers were up and about, Hamza being one of them. The War Magus was surprised once more to see his guild-members hurried into the lobby. There were no obvious injuries, yet there was some sort of tension in the air.

Shen was dripping wet, his powerful form shuddering erratically. He had one hand on his katana, while the other was clasped on Magnus’ shoulder, the blonde-haired Alchemist staring off into space, his eyes unblinking. Lynus circled around the two, well and truly into what was now dubbed as “Mother-Hen Mode”. Chi-hung lingered by Magnus’ side, nudging him with his head, trying to get a response out of him. And Axel stood a little way from the group, scratching the back of his head in a haggard manner. He also seemed to have Lynus’ bag on his person, carrying it so Lynus could fuss over the two unimpeded.

Another eventful night it seemed.

“You two need to get out of those wet clothes,” Lynus ordered, ushering both Shen and Magnus toward their room. “And sit in front of the fire place. I’ll ask Matron to brew you some tea or something. Don’t give me that look, just do as you’re told.”

As Lynus turned to speak with Matron, he paused and gave the two a rather stern look. “If you’re not in the tearoom by the time I get back, so help me…” he warned.

Axel chuckled and waved him off, before he approached Hamza in order to explain the situation. “Long night,” he said.

“Another mishap?” Hamza asked, although the answer was quite obvious.

“Shen fell through the ice and nearly froze.”

“I’m fine,” Shen immediately stated over his shoulder before Hamza had the chance to ask him himself.

Hamza simply nodded his head before motion toward their Alchemist. “And Magnus?” he questioned, concern about that vacant and haunted look in his eyes.

His concern grew when Magnus didn’t answer. He appeared to be in some state of shock.

“Headache,” Axel answered for him, purposely being vague before adding, “I’ll explain everything later.”

Once more Hamza simply nodded his head. “This stratum is indeed rather dangerous, isn’t it?” he commented with a frown. If it wasn’t the monsters that were trying to kill them, it was the labyrinth itself. Danger was literally coming from all sides.  
   
“We managed to find two Snow Blossoms, though,” Axel said as he stretched his arms over his head, emitting a few telling cracks and creaks. “Didn’t want to risk looking for the other possible two.”

“No, that is completely understandable,” Hamza said, agreeing completely with their reasoning. After all, the mission didn’t state that they had to complete it all in one night. “We can try again tomorrow or the next. Finding two in one night goes beyond expectations. You’ve done well.”

“The blossoms are in Lynus’ bag,” Axel explained, indicating to the bag he was carrying as he started to make his way up the stairs to his own room, to no doubt remove his armour and unwind a little. “He’ll take care of them. Well, after he finishes taking care of everyone else.”

Hamza watched as his guild-members move away, going in separate direction. Only Chi-hung lingered behind with him, circling around him a couple of times. Hamza caught his gaze and shared a silent conversation. Chi-hung flicked his right ear back, showing that there was no need to be overly concern. Everything was going to be alright.

With each little mishap, the bonds forged between guild-members only grow stronger.

Anyway, he needed to ensure that the fireplace in the tearoom was burning brightly. After all, there was a surprise waiting for everyone.

… … … … …

After having spoken to Matron to request some tea, only to learn that the motherly inn-keeper was in fact working on a big breakfast, Lynus made his way to the room that Shen and Magnus shared. He knocked on the door first, not wanting to rush in while they were in the middle of changing. It would be rude and highly improper.

Not to mention embarrassing.

“It’s me,” Lynus said as he turned the handle and slowly pushed open the door. “Can I come in?”

Receiving a short ‘yes’ in response, Lyner opened the door fully and let himself in. He immediately noted with some relief that Shen had indeed changed out of his wet clothing and into something warmer and dryer. However, he couldn’t help but frown when he realised that Shen was the only one in the room.

“Where’s Magnus?” Lynus asked, frowning. “I thought I told him-”

“He’s not here.”

Lynus had to bite his tongue in order to prevent himself from making some sort of sarcastic comment. Yes, that much was obvious. Thank you very much, Shen.

“He has retreated elsewhere,” Shen went on to explain as he began to remove his sturdy gloves that he wore under his arm guards.

“Retreated?” Lynus repeated, quirking his head to the side. What the world did he mean by that?

Before he could question him, though, his eyes were drawn to Shen’s hands. He noticed that his fingers were tinged pink, which was a good thing. However, there were cakes of blood on his fingertips, his nails broken and chipped, folded back painfully. He then immediately realised that Shen must have gotten those injuries while trying to desperately claw at the ice when he was trapped below.

Lyner couldn’t help but shiver at the thought. Being trapped under the ice, the water bitter cold and painful, desperately trying to get out. Shen had to be strong in both mind and body to get out of that situation virtually unharmed.

“Your hands,” Lynus said, reaching out to them, only for Shen to immediately pull away.

“I’m fine,” he said, turning his back to Lynus, hiding his hands.

Lynus pushed forward. “Just let me see-”

“They can wait,” Shen said tersely. “Find Magnus. Go calm him down, first.”

“Fine, fine,” Lynus relented, knowing that there was no way he could talk the stubborn Ronin into letting him heal him first.

And, well, to be honest, he was also slightly worried about Magnus. Shen had gotten out of his wet clothes and was well on the way of returning to normal body temperature. But Magnus was probably still in his icy clothes. He also appeared to have been more effected by what happened.

“I’ll be back,” Lynus promised, almost in a threatening manner, before turning on his heel and heading out the door.

Now, he had to find the Alchemist. Where could he have retreated to? Somewhere quiet and isolated, most likely. And he was probably still inside the inn somewhere.

A gentle pawing against his leg pulled Lynus out of his musings. He looked down to his right to see Chi-hung standing behind him, his ears perked forward and his tail flicking behind him.

“Hm, Chi-hung?” Lynus murmured, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. “Oh! You know where Magnus is?”

Chi-hung nodded his regal head before shuffling off, leading Lynus through the many hallways of the inn. They turned down a secluded corridor and the white-tiger stopped in front of a door that was slightly ajar. Wordlessly, Lynus walked over to the door and pushed it open to peer inside. What he saw broke his heart.

The room was dark, the windows of the curtains drawn, but he could see the thin silhouette of someone sitting on a chair in the far corner, his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs.

“I see,” Lynus murmured as he looked down at Chi-hung, giving the white-tiger a soft pat on the head. “Thank you.”

Chi-hung purred, pushing back against Lynus’ hand, before taking his leave, prowling off, appearing as if he knew that Lynus would be able to take care of Magnus.

“Magnus?” Lynus called as he gently knocked on the door. “There you are. How are you feeling?”

Magnus snapped his head up and stiffened in his seat. He would have scurried away if he wasn’t already backed into the corner. He looked at Lynus, his eyes wide with fear and something else Lynus couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“…Are you afraid of me?” Magnus suddenly asked, his voice soft and yet shaky.

“Huh?” Lynus muttered, startled. That question caught him completely off-guard. “Why would I be?”

“These powers…” Magnus whimpered and clutched his head with his hands, curling back into himself. “They’re hard to control sometimes. My head…”

“No, I’m not scared of you,” Lynus stated as he hurried into the room and approached Magnus without hesitation. He reached out to him, grabbing his hands to hold in his, pulling them away from his head. “Not at all. I…think you’re amazing.”

Magnus stared at him with his bright blue eyes. “…What?”

“You were able to use your gifts to save Shen, melting the ice enough for him to break through,” Lynus explained as he sat down onto a chair next to him, keeping a firm yet tender hold on his hands. “If…if it was Axel who had fallen in, if it was just us…I wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”

Lynus paused and squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want his mind to wander, but he couldn’t help it. The thought of Axel being the one to fall through the ice instead, clawing underneath the water and Lynus not being able to do anything but watch.

It was terrifying.

“I’m not…strong enough,” he whispered.

Magnus sat still in silence for a moment or two. He then unexpectedly removed his hands from Lynus’ hold and reached forward, hugging him. Magnus wrapped his arms around Lynus’ shoulders and rest his cheek on his shoulder. The embraced startled Lynus for a moment, but he quickly returned the hug, placing his hands on Magnus’ back and resting his chin on his shoulder.

A sense of silent understanding was shared between them. No more words were needed to be said.

“Come on,” Lynus said after a few silent moments, smiling as he gently tugged at the back of Magnus’ jacket. “You need to get out of these damp clothes and into something dryer. After that, let’s go sit in the tea room. I’m over the cold weather of the Third Stratum.”

Magnus pulled away from him and nodded his head, a look of gratitude in his eyes. “Y-yeah.”

They quickly left the room, Lynus leading Magnus back to the room he shared with Shen. As they approached the door, it suddenly swung open and Shen was standing in the threshold, looking as though he had expected them to appear.

“S-Shen?” Magnus stuttered as he shyly approached him, his shoulders slightly hunched and his hands fidgeting in front of him.

“I’m fine,” Shen said, not as tersely as before. His eyes almost appeared soft, despite his stoic face as he stepped out of the room and into the hallway. “Go get changed.”

“Ok,” Magnus said, the tension easing from his shoulders. He turned to look at Lynus, who in turn smiled and nodded his head. Magnus nodded and quickly shuffled his way into his room, closing the door behind him.

Shen watched him until he was out of side before turning to Lynus. “How is he?” he asked.

“He’s calmed down,” Lynus answered, still smiling. He then reached out to take Shen’s hands, finally able to offer the Ronin some healing. “Let me see those hands.”

Almost reluctantly, Shen lifted his hands for Lynus to inspect. Shen’s hands were much stronger than his, rough and coarse, an obvious symbol of his years of hard training. They still felt slightly cold, not icy cold mind you, but most certainly not warm. They were pink, so blood was circulating. Very good.

He then began inspecting his fingernails, managing to hold back a wince. They were chipped and broken, every single one of them. Nearly all the way back to the quick. Thankfully, though, he won’t have to remove the remaining nails. They shouldn’t impede him movements. Although, it was going to be uncomfortable for Shen when they start to grow back.

“At least it’s not frost-bite,” Lynus said as he used a cure spell to heal the broken skin. He won’t be able to make the nails grow back, but at least he’ll make it easier for when they do. “You have very tough hands.”

Shen said nothing, not even wincing when the skin start to etch back together.

“Shen?” Lynus said after he had finished up his healing, allowing Shen to pull back his hands. He folded his arms over his torso and shuffled awkwardly on his feet. There was something on his mind, something that came about when he was speaking with Magnus. “Do you think the reason Magnus gets so many headaches is because he’s afraid of his own abilities?”

Shen looked at him, his face unreadable before he seemed to sigh, giving a sharp nod. “Yes,” he said, reaching that conclusion some time ago.

Lynus chewed on his bottom lip. “…What can we do?” he asked. He wanted to help Magnus in some way, but how? Magnus needed confidence in himself and his abilities, something that Lynus won’t be able to help him with fully. How could he when he was struggling with his own self-worth?

“That, I am uncertain…” Shen admitted. He, too, sounded pained.

“He’s very fond of you,” Lynus said, rather abruptly. “I’m sure you can help him.”

Shen abruptly turned his back to Lynus, his shoulders rigid and tense as he shook his head. “I am a trained warrior. Not…a comforter,” he said with a sense of guilt and remorse. “There is nothing I can do for him.”

“That’s not true,” Lynus instantly objected. “You keep him grounded. You’re his support. That’s not nothing. It’s definitely something. And it’s something important.”

A few seconds of silence seemed to tick by before Shen spoke up again. “…Perhaps,” he said, simply.

“I don’t think you need to say anything. Your presence is enough,” Lynus added, sensing a hint of acceptance from the Ronin in front of him. He then shrugged, deciding to quickly change the subject as he could also sense a form of discomfort from him. “Well, this is all I can do for you. You just need to get warmed up, now.”

As soon as he said that, the door opened and Magnus appeared, dressed in far more casual clothing. He seemed startled, yet subtly delighted to see that they were still there. “Oh…Were you waiting?” he asked softly.

“Yes, we were,” Lynus smiled. “Let’s go.”

“Ok.”

Moving into the tearoom, Lynus was somewhat surprised to see that the other members of the Guardians were also up and about, as was Rahas and Lirit. Even Becky and Binah were fluttering around happily.

“Oh, good!” Matron’s voice was easily heard over the chatter of the room’s occupants. “Everyone is here. Time for a special breakfast!”

“A special breakfast?” Lynus questioned as he ventured further into the room, making his way to stand by Axel’s side.

“A reward is a reward, don’t you know?” Matron winked as Binah and Becky stood in front her, giggling joyously. They looked happy, proud even.

“Reward?” Lynus murmured, momentarily confused. Then realisation dawned upon him quite quickly. Axel did say that Binah and Becky had made a formal request of the Guardians, which Hamza had accepted – them acting as matchmakers for him and Axel!

Blushing lightly, Lynus looked over to Axel who smiled in return. He had figured it out as well. “Oh! I see.”

Lynus felt his blush deepen as Axel threaded his fingers through Lynus’ hair, to place a kiss to his temple. He laughed warmly, though, when the others seem to pay no mind. They simply smiled in knowingness before shuffling about to serve themselves some breakfast, happily chatting amongst themselves.

Lirit, however, gave Lynus a quick hug and whispered a soft ‘I’m happy for you’ into his ear before he set about getting some food of his own.

Lynus could only smile, his heart fluttering in his chest. He quickly joined Axel’s side at the breakfast table, immersing himself in the loving community and acceptance that was Guild Guardians. As he pressed himself against Axel’s side, he was experiencing feelings he never thought he’d experience again.

Happiness. Gratitude. Contentment.

Life was…good.

It really was.

… … … … …

After the bustle of breakfast had died down, Hamza leaned back in his seat to take a moment to cast his eyes over the group of talented explorers before him. A sense of pride swelled in his chest, noting how well several very different individuals from many different backgrounds were able to work together.

They had started out as rookies, curious and naïve. And now, they were taking pride in themselves. They had grown so much. They had made their choices and had achieved things that others could only dream about.

They had forged strong bonds of friendship, companionship and partnership.

Ah…Speaking of partnerships.

“Hmm…I can’t help but notice how everyone seems to be pairing off, Chi-Hung,” Hamza commented with a light sense of amusement, the white-tiger lifting his head to regard him. “The most obvious is Axel and Lynus, of course.”

He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling at the sight of the two together on the couch. Lynus had his legs lying over Axel’s lap as he cuddled against his side, his head resting on his shoulder. Axel had his eyes closed as he rested his head up top of Lynus’ and had his arm wrapped around his shoulders, a small smile on both their lips. They also appeared to be sleeping.

“But there’s Jhon and Tobyn over there.”

Jhon’s leg was healing nicely, but Tobyn was still cautious of him putting too much strain on his knee. Tobyn had never been one to show much outward affection, but since Jhon had gotten injured, he had been more forthcoming; hovering around Jhon, sticking to his side like glue. He even refused to let him move around the room with some kind of assistance. Even now. Jhon, seemingly have gotten sick of his fussing, had snared Tobyn by the wrist and pulled him down into the seat next to him. And they sat there, shoulder to shoulder, simply talking quietly to themselves.

“Then there’s Shen and Magnus.”

Shen was sitting in the lotus position on the rug in front of the fire place, with Magnus sitting across of him, his legs also folded in the lotus seating. It appeared as though Shen was offering Magnus some tips on meditation, showing him how to fold his hands and keep himself centred. And Magnus looked enthralled with what Shen was telling him, nodding his head and listening intently.

“And maybe,” Hamza chuckled as he brought his cup of coffee to his lips. “A little bit of Macerio and Lirit.”

Macerio was sitting on the chair, Lirit’s lute in his hands as Lirit hovered over his shoulder, showing him where to position his hands and teaching him a few chords. Macerio had his brow furrowed, concentrating hard on what Lirit was showing him, while Lirit seemed to be laughing, a radiant smile on his lips.

“I guess this old man is getting a little lonely,” Hamza added with a false sense of sadness.

Chi-hung suddenly growled lowly before motioning with his head toward something or someone.

“Hm?” Hamza hummed before turning to look in the direction Chi-hung was motioning in. And when he did, he arched an eyebrow in mild disbelief. There, lounging on the cushioned seat under the window was a certain Dark Hunter, his eyes closed, his arms folded behind his head in a casual manner.

Rahas suddenly opened one eye to peer at him in an almost accusatory manner. “…What are you looking at, gramps?” he asked, tersely.

Hamza felt his eye twitch. “…You’re the only one for me, Chi-hung.”

Chi-hung lowered his head to his folded paws, sniggering.

… … … … …

The weather was quite warm as Lynus made his way through the ever familiar streets of Lagaard. He was heading to the bar once again, with a request in hand. Macerio was accompanying him for something to do. He also looked relieved that he was free of his ‘matchmaking’ duties. He wilfully admitted as much as they walked, going into great detail how the girls blackmailed him and the others.

Lynus could only laugh.

They chatted easily as they strolled into the bar, Bar-Keep Cass immediately noticing them. There were only a few patrons in the bar, and it wasn’t hard for Lynus to recognise some of the familiar faces. Although that panda bear sitting squashed up in the back corner was a sight he hadn’t witnessed before. No one else seemed concerned, though, so he simply filed that sight away into the back of his mind.

It certainly wasn’t hard to notice that Guild Cosmos were also present, sitting around the table, looking bored and slightly dejected. Well, Tiffany definitely did. Gerald seemed to be already drunk, if him being face down on the table with a beer mug in one hand was any indication. And Simmons seemed to be engrossed in the task of picking his nose.

They didn’t seem to notice or mind that they were being accompanied by the female Hexer, Kerri, whom of which seems to be counting her money. Perhaps she had won the money in a bet? Most likely from Guild Cosmos themselves, from the looks of it.

“Another request?” Cass asked as Lynus and Macerio approached the bar, Macerio leaning against it casually.

“From the Inn, this time,” Lynus explained as he handed over the request letter.

“That old ox is still renovating?” Cass asked with a teasing grin. He did do a quick surveillance of the area before he said that, though. Even he was a tad frightened of Matron.

“Ah, yeah,” Lynus said, before he turned his attention to Macerio while Cass went to post the request. “So, what are you doing today, Macerio?”

“I dunno,” Macerio said as he folded his arms behind his head in a casual manner and leaned his back against the bar.

The other members of their guild were either still at the Inn, or were traversing the Labyrinth once again. They had no quests to fulfil and Lady Gradreil was pleased with the two Snow Blossoms that they managed to retrieve. So today was pretty much just a lazy day, doing whatever they wanted.

“Maybe hang out with Lirit or something,” Macerio commented with a shrug.

Lynus smiled as he looked around the bar once more. “I’m sure he’d-” he paused suddenly, the words becoming lost as his gaze fell upon a familiar figure strolling just outside the window of the bar. His heart leapt into his throat and he all but stopped breathing. That form was instantly familiar.

It couldn’t be…He was seeing things, right?

No, he couldn’t be. It was no mistaking it. That lanky but powerful body, those piercing eyes, sharp teeth clenched around a lit cigarette. The way he walked with a confident swagger, his strides purposely and intimidatingly powerful. One hand hung lazily by his side as the other toyed with the handle of his whip. His lips were pulled into a very familiar smirk, his eyes taking in every detail.

It was him. It was…

“Avith…?”


	39. Chapter 39

Avith…

Why was he here?

“T-that’s…” Lynus whimpered, a powerful sense of fear washing over him. He didn’t want to take his eyes off of the familiar and menacing form, but he had to find somewhere to hide. He couldn’t let Avith see him. Couldn’t let him know that he, along with the others, were in Lagaard.

They’ve come so far. Why did Avith have to turn up now?

“Eh?” Macerio uttered, his brow furrowing in confusion and concern. “What’s-?”

Before Macerio could finish asking his question, Lynus placed his hands on top of the bar and then vaulted over it, landing heavily on the other side before ducking underneath the counter. He sat down on the floor, pressing his back against the wall and folded his legs to his chest, a cold sweat beading across his brow as his heart thundered in his chest.

“Wha-?” Macerio spluttered as he leaned over the counter, an expression of utter bewilderment on his face.

“Eh?” Cass uttered, he too looking startled. “What are ya-?”

“That Dark Hunter. The one with the pale skin and blue hair. Don’t let him know I’m here,” Lynus whispered, slightly breathless as he peered up at the bar-keep and the friendly gunner, fear and pleading in his eyes. “Please.”

Cass shared a quick and silent look with Macerio before Macerio pushed away from the bar to look around. Cass did the same, his eyes quickly scanning the bar. His gaze suddenly stilled and a subtle scowl appeared on his face. “The one with the obnoxious swagger?”

Lynus swallowed thickly. “That’s him.”

“Don’t worry yourself,” Cass murmured, keeping his eyes narrowed as he silently picked up a glass and started to clean it. “He won’t find ya.”

A strange silence suddenly fell over the bar. Only the sound of heavy set boots made of thick leather and metal was heard as they thundered against the floor. Lynus twisted around in his spot, noticing a slit in the wooden panelling of the bar. It was big enough for him to peer through.

He barely suppressed a shiver.

Avith stood in the very middle of the bar, lifting his hand to draw the cigarette from his lips unhurriedly. He peered around, his eyes darting from left to right as he took in his surroundings. Slowly, he pulled his lips into that obnoxious and frightening smirk. He seemed to be amused.

“…Well well, I guess it’s not hard for me to become the centre of attention, is it? Hmm,” he said, his voice, snaky and sleazy, sent a chill down Lynus’ spine. “…All right, then.” He unceremoniously dropped his cigarette to the floor and snuffed it out with his boot. “There’s no point in being sneaky about it.”

Silence reigned for a few more lingering moments before Macerio broke it. “…About what?” he asked, his voice terse and suspicious.

“Hmm?” Avith slowly turned his head to look at Macerio, his sharp eyes looking him up and down. His smirk never wavered as he slid over to him. Lynus had to cover his mouth with his hand to prevent himself from subconsciously making a noise of fear. He folded his legs tighter against his chest and was almost too nervous to breath.

“I'm looking for someone, you see,” Avith said as he approached Macerio, getting well and truly into the Gunner’s personal space. Macerio leaned back against the bar to try and put some distance between them, a look of disgust on his face. “A medic. Orange hair, violet eyes. He's rather easy on the eyes. I’m sure you would have noticed him. Who wouldn’t?”

“Yeah?” Macerio murmured as his hand slowly slipped from the bar to his jacket, seeming going for his weapon. “And what you want with him?”

Macerio suddenly squeaked when Avith lashed out, snaring his wrist that was going for his weapon in his hand, pinning it behind his back as Avith pulled Macerio against his chest, his leering face close to his. Macerio froze, his eyes becoming wide with a sense of disbelief and fear.

“Now now,” Avith chided mockingly. “No need to get feisty on me.”

“G-get off!” Macerio demanded, squirming in his grip.

Another sense of fear washed over Lynus. Avith was turning his crude and leery attention on poor Macerio! He couldn’t let that happen. He knew what the Dark Hunter was capable of. He didn’t want Macerio to be harmed because Avith was looking for him. It was blatantly obvious that he was the one Avith was searching for. 

He had to get him away from Macerio. As soon as he revealed himself, Avith would turn all his attention to him, leaving everyone else alone. Avith had always enjoyed tormenting him the most.

But as he attempted to move, Cass shoved him back under with his foot. As Lynus fell back into his hiding spot, Cass leaned over the bar and grabbed Avith by the ear, twisting it and pulling him away from Macerio.

“Ow,” Avith hissed as he removed his hold on Macerio, whom of which immediately squirmed away from him, looking as if he had been violated. “No need to be rough.”

“State your business,” Cass demanded tersely, keeping a firm grip on his ear.

However, instead of looking annoyed and lashing out, Avith twisted his head slightly to look at Cass, that infuriating smirk once again on his lips. “Did you know? A rather famous man called Lord Taksony is dead,” he said with sadistic glee. “That cute little medic I’m looking for was the one who killed him. “

Lynus trembled as he pulled his legs to his chest, wrapped his arms around them and squeezed his eyes shut. No, don’t say that. He didn’t want everyone to know.

“Taksony?!” A new voice suddenly bellowed with a mixture of a snort, a scoff and a drunken belch. Lynus jumped slightly at the sound and turned to peer through the little peek-hole, his eyes immediately landing on Gerald, the male Gunner sitting up with his beer in one hand and a drunken flush to his cheeks. He also had a very disgruntled expression on his face.

“That bastard died years ago!” he continued, his voice slurred but understandable. “Don't try pinning it on some medic. Besides, that baby-doll would have been, what, six at the time?”

Lynus found himself wincing from multiple things. From the volume of his voice, the name ‘baby-doll’ and the subtle fact that he knew him.

“Whatever. So what, anyway?” Gerald continued to slur, swaying slightly in his seat. “What if babyface did it? Did the world a favour. Damn bastard.”

He then slammed his head back onto the table with a loud thunk. Soon after, a loud snore was heard wafting through the bar.

“Dammit, that kid again,” Tiffany was heard muttering as she bit on the tip of her thumb. “What’s so special about him?”

“Eh?” Simmons said as he finally pulled his finger away from his nose. “Isn’t that the guy that Axel is protective of?”

Suddenly, Kerri rose from her seat without making a sound, almost like an ominous shadow as she drifted toward Avith, the Dark Hunter’s smirk disappearing as he regarded her with a curious look. Even Cass had removed his grip on Avith’s ear, silently wondering what the female Hexer was up to.

“Leave this place,” Kerri said, her voice low and haunting. “You are not welcome here. A dark cloud hangs over you.”

Avith blinked at her, staying silent. However, he wasn’t to be intimidated. “…Heh, really now,” he said as his trademark smirk reappeared on his lips. “So the precious one is here. Interesting.”

“That is no trifle warning, Avith.”

Another voice, this one eerie and foreboding, made Lynus shiver. His quickly looked over to the source of that voice, unable to prevent his body from trembling. He wasn’t there before, but a new person had approached the bar. Ashen grey hair and hollow eyes. Cloaks of black and grey.

Zalaph?

Where did he come from?

“Let us depart for now,” Zalaph continued.

“What a hostile environment,” Avith commented as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a cigarette and a match “I like it. I think I might stick around.”

“…Very well,” Zalaph said simply.

“See ya, pretty boy,” Avith said to Macerio, momentarily leaning toward him as he struck the match against the bar, lighting it. He perched the cigarette between his sharp teeth and lit it. “There’s a few others I’m looking for as well. I wonder if twinkle-toes likes to shop.”

This time, Lynus really did stop breathing. Twinkle-toes? Binah? Was he referring to Binah? She was out doing a few shopping errands for Matron.

“Lynus, he’s-”

Anticipating what Macerio was about the say, Lynus stood up and quickly vaulted back over the bar, scrambling toward the exit. He couldn’t stay and explain anything. He had no time to waste. He can’t let Avith anywhere near Binah. She couldn’t handle seeing him again.

“W-wait!”

“I need to find Binah!” Lynus called over his shoulder.

… … … … …

A light layer of sweat glistened against Hamza’s brow as he stood in a defensive position. His shield and weapon drawn, and ready to wield if necessary. However, he was not facing off against a FOE, nor even a monster from the Labyrinth.

Before him was Rahas, the Dark Hunter slouched over with his hands on his knees, panting heavily. Unlike Hamza, Rahas was sweating profusely from his training.

Hamza took a moment to study him and knew that the younger man had reached his limit of training for the day. Should he push any further, his body would only suffer, undoing all his hard work. “That’s enough for today.”

“No,” Rahas panted as he shook his head almost frantically. “I can still go on.”

Hamza sighed as he sheathed his sword. “…You are so stubborn.”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Rahas practically snarled as he struggled to stand up tall. “You’ve never had to fight for your life during a time when you should be fucking living it.”

Hamza silently stared at the defiant Dark Hunter. He had no response to his words. He did not know the full circumstances of his coming to Lagaard. Rahas wouldn’t go into great detail. But from what Rahas had revealed, his life (and those of his ‘family’) had been harsh.

And he was silently terrified of going back.

“Rahas,” Another voice said, soft and timidly pleading, suddenly spoke up. “Rahas, please stop.”

Startled, Rahas whipped around to see the orange-haired Troubadour step into the clearing. “Lirit…What are you doing here?”

“You don’t have to do this anymore,” Lirit said as he kept his full attention on Rahas. “Lynus is safe. We all are. Lynus has a strong friend. His childhood friend. He’ll protect him. So, don’t push yourself anymore, ok?”

Silence fell over the group as Rahas simply stared at Lirit with unreadable eyes. Lirit held his gaze, his own eyes shimmering with a sense of pleading. Finally, Rahas’ shoulders sagged with defeat and he touched his forehead.

“…What am I supposed to do now?” he asked bitterly.

“What about living?” Hamza suggested.

Rahas pulled his hand away from his forehead to give Hamza a rather confused look. “What?”

“I do not know the details of your life to this point,” Hamza said in a diplomatic and calming manner. “But I can assume that you had your life put on hold by another. And that person is no longer a consistent in your life. Is he?”

“…No.”

“Lynus is worried about you,” Lirit added softly.

But upon hearing Lynus’ name, Rahas’ brow furrowed into a dark look. “You don’t understand, we can’t be safe yet,” he said to Hamza.

Once again, Hamza found himself sighing. “Why are you so-?”

“Because Lynus is a talented healer, ok?” Rahas snapped, abruptly cutting Hamza off. “He’s become popular, famous even. People will talk. Avith…Avith will come after him again, I know he will. I can’t rest until then.”

Hamza took a moment to let those words mull over in his head. Was Rahas being paranoid? Or was his fears justified? Gossip had the tendency to spread quickly. There were hardly any secrets in the world of an explorer.

Speaking of which. Perhaps…

“Why don’t you become an explorer?” Hamza suddenly suggested, catching Rahas off-guard.

“An explorer?” Rahas repeated, his brow furrowing further with a sense of frustration. “Weren’t you listening?”

“Oh, I heard everything quite clearly,” Hamza stated before he went on to explain his suggestion. “However, I think becoming an explorer would be a wise decision. There are many dangers and challenges within the Labyrinth. Overcoming these will make you stronger, wiser. And, in some ways, will put Lynus’ mind at ease. He wants you to start thinking about your own future. He feels that he is unable to reach you anymore.”

“You’re still an important person to Lynus, Rahas,” Lirit once again added softly as he cautiously approached Rahas. “We’re family, after all.”

Rahas seemed to have no response to that. He opened his mouth, but snapped it shut a moment later. Hamza took that as a good sign.

Maybe they were finally getting through to him.

“Hey, hey!”

Hamza blinked when he heard the familiar voice of his guild’s Gunner. He looked over in time to see Macerio barrel into the clearing, looking frantic, worried and incredibly frazzled. “Macerio? What’s wrong?”

“Something’s going on!” Macerio blurted out, flailing a little with his words. “Lynus is totally freaking out! There’s this Dark Hunter-!”

“Dark Hunter? Avith!” Rahas growled lowly, in an almost animalistic way, as he snatched his whip. “Bastard! I knew he’d come!”

Before Hamza had the change to ask for answers or an explanation, Rahas had quickly departed the clearing, racing back toward the city. He pushed past a bewildered Macerio, who reeled back, slightly breathless from his run, to watch him disappear from sight.

Macerio turned to look back at Hamza, apparently about to explain further when his gaze fell on Lirit and he stopped. Hamza, too, turned to look at Lirit, finding the Troubadour clutching his lute against his chest, shaking considerably.

“…Avith?” he whimpered, going into shock.

Hamza felt himself become tense as Macerio approached Lirit, only for the younger man to suddenly cling to him, on the verge of tears. It seemed the person that Rahas was desperate to become stronger than, the one he feared would come after Lynus, had indeed arrived in Lagaard. And was already causing trouble.

Someone had better put a stop to this before it gets completely out of control. He couldn’t anticipate what Axel would do when he learnt of this Avith person…


	40. Chapter 40

Clutching her bag of groceries to her chest, Binah skipped out of the store, merrily humming a soft tune. She was feeling considerably happy as she had spied some cocoa beans on the grocery list and she hoped that Matron was going to be making cookies again.

Scampering around a corner, Binah suddenly collided with something. Or rather, someone quite tall and wearing thick black leather. She tightened her hold on her bag as she stumbled backwards. “Oof! Hey!” she said as she rubbed her face with her hand.

But as she turned to look at the person she ran into, she stopped breathing.

“Oh, well now, isn’t it little Miss Twinkle-Toes, Binah?”

Her grip slackening on her bag, Binah stared wide eyed as she uttered a soft noise of pure fear. She shook her head as the bag tumbled from her hands, slowly backing away. “…Ah…”

Avith stood before her, his lips pulled into a wicked and terrifying grin. He had one hand on his hip, the other toying sadistically with the handle of his whip. “Long time no see, sweet-cheeks,” he practically leered as he approached her.

“Avith!” Lynus abruptly appeared, darting around a corner. He gathered Binah into his arms and pulled her away from Avith, holding her close to him as he tried to put some distance between them and Avith.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on Binah,” Lynus all but hissed.

Avith, however, laughed in wicked delight. “Well, that worked quicker than I thought it would,” he smirked as he eyed Lynus up and down. “So predictable.”

Binah clung to Lynus as he slowly began to back away. He didn’t dare to run as it would mean turning his back on Avith, which would only give him the perfect opportunity to attack them. And he would. He was very, very opportunistic.

“How did you find us?” Lynus asked.

“Hmm…” Avith hummed as he began to creep closer, circling around like a vicious predator. “Nope, not going to say other than I am simply that brilliant.”

Lynus narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m more inclined to think that it was Zalaph’s doing,” he said.

Avith gave an exaggerated shiver as he all but mockingly cooed at him, that infuriating smirk still playing on his lips. “Ooh, as feisty as ever, I see. I’m going to have some fun with you.”

Lynus bit the inside of his mouth. He recognised that look in Avith’s eyes. He had seen it so, so many times in the past. “Binah, run,” he whispered to the pink-haired girl clinging to him. “The inn, quickly.”

“O-ok,” Binah whimpered before slipping from his hold and running as fast as she could. She knew better than to question him. She was a good girl.

Lynus immediately stepped in-between Avith and the retreating Binah. While he was certain that he was the one that Avith was really after, he wouldn’t put it past him to go after Binah just to make him suffer.

“Just to two of us, huh?” Avith commented, sparing only a small glance at Binah before focusing those sharp eyes fully on Lynus. His smirk seemed to become even more wicked as he looked him up and down once more. “How lucky am I?”

“What do you want?” Lynus asked tersely.

“A lot of things. Where to start?” Avith tapped his chin in thought as he continued to move about, pacing back and forth erratically, making Lynus incredibly edgy. He then mockingly perked up. “Oh, I know! How about you tell me how you killed the old man?”

Lynus couldn’t help but wince and he swallowed thickly. “What makes you think I did it?” he asked. “He has a lot of enemies.”

“But none with the opportunity,” Avith retorted sharply.

Lynus…couldn’t deny that. He was the only medic, and as the medic, he wasn’t much of a threat, so he was literally the only one who was allowed to be alone with Taksony. But…no one could have predicted what a desperate medic could do. And it showed how frail Taksony’s grip on life was. If that wooden staff of his was able to take him out, them anything could have.

It was only a matter of time.

“Don’t tell me…You used your little fairy wand?” Avith suddenly asked with an incredulous look on his face. His eyes widen almost manically as he laughed loudly, clutching his forehead. “Oh, isn’t that comical! Those scrawny little arms actually strong enough to hit something?”

“Scrawny I may be, but as least I’m useful,” Lynus commented sharply as he tried to think of some way to get away from Avith. There was no way he could fight the Dark Hunter. For starters, he was lacking his weapon.

“My, my, haven’t we grown a sharp tongue? I’m really enjoying myself,” Avith said as he continued to smirk. However, his expression abruptly changed and he gave Lynus this dark, cold stare, pausing in his movements. “…Why?”

Reeling his head back slightly at the sudden change in Avith’s demeanour, Lynus licked his lips nervously. “Why, what?”

“Why did you knock him off?” Avith asked him, his voice as cold and empty as ice.

“…I had too,” Lynus whispered, his shoulders hunching forward defensively. “It was the only way. It’s better this way, isn’t it?”

While Avith’s leery and sleazy attitude was degrading at the best of times, his sudden cold and stoic appearance was absolutely unnerving. Lynus didn’t know what the make of it. It was just so…demoralizing.

“You’re still healing, I hear,” Avith suddenly commented, his expression not changing. “Interesting.”

That surprised Lynus slightly. “Why should you care?” But, more importantly, how did he know?

Avith surprisingly closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. Then he snapped them open, his hand reaching for his whip. “You better come with me.”

Lynus had barely enough time to utter a surprised “What?” before he heard Avith’s whip crack. He hunched his shoulders out of reflex, his hands reaching up to cover his head. He then felt something wrap around his neck, pinning his right hand to his throat. Automatically, his fingers curled around a leather type rope and realised that it was Avith’s whip.

A sharp tug propelled Lynus forward, completely against his will, and stumbled against Avith. He immediately began to struggle as an arm wrapped around him. No, he didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be anywhere Avith. He didn’t want to be hurt anymore.

He didn’t want to go back!

“Avith, please,” Lynus whimpered his plea as he pushed against him. “Let me go.”

“Can’t do that,” Avith retorted sharply as he grabbed him harshly, holding him horrifyingly close to him.

“Why not?” Lynus asked, well on the verge of panic. “Why can’t I just stay here?”

Avith said nothing in response. He simply stared at him with blank and unreadable eyes. It was almost as if he was contemplating his plea.

“Avith!”

“Hm?” With Avith’s attention suddenly diverted elsewhere, Lynus frantically pushed at the Dark Hunter’s hold on him. With his desperate struggling, he was able to loosen the whip around his neck and wrist, ripping himself away from the surprisingly slow responding Avith.

As he staggered back, clutching his throat and breathing deeply, another Dark Hunter abruptly entered the scene. It was Rahas. He skidded in front of Lynus, his own whip gripped tightly in his hand, his face creased into a hated growl.

“Get away from Lynus, you bastard,” Rahas snarled dangerously to Avith.

“Well, isn’t it little Rahas?” Avith commented rather lightly, that smirk of his reappearing on his lips.

Rahas threw his arm out to the side, placing himself purposely between Avith and Lynus, signalling to Lynus to stay behind him. Lynus was grateful for his protection, but he also felt fearful. Rahas had grown stronger since arriving here in Lagaard, but was his strong enough to face Avith?

“What the hell are you doing here?” Rahas asked harshly.

“What kind of question is that?” Avith scoffed as he folded his arms over his chest in a childishly irritated manner. “Why do you think I’m here?”

“The old man is dead,” Rahas counted sharply. “You have no reason to be here.”

Avith’s expression sadistically brightened. “Oh, you know about your dearly departed father.”

“That bastard is not my father!” Rahas immediately spat, his posture just oozing with absolute hatred.

“Now now, there’s no need to be the rebellious teenager,” Avith continued to mock. “Don’t you want to step into your father’s shoes?”

Rahas bristled with barely restrained anger. “I have no interest in taking over that bastard’s legacy. Besides, it looks like you already have!”

Avith laughed loudly once more, finding a sense of disturbing amusement about the whole conversation. “As lively as ever, I see!” He rubbed his chin with his hand, observing Rahas through slightly narrow eyes. “Hmm, looks like you’ve gotten stronger. How interesting…”

“I’m stronger than you, asshole,” Rahas stated, cracking his whip in a show of strength.

“Really now?” Avith smirked as he lazily cracked his own whip. “Let’s see!”

A split second later, the two Dark Hunters lunged at each other. And Lynus watched, dazed as the two warriors clashed. A flurry of movements, sharp cracks of whips, mocking taunts and angry retorts. The alleyways of Lagaard had become a battlefield.

Lynus should probably use this opportunity to run, to get help, but he couldn’t leave. He couldn’t just leave Rahas behind. He just couldn’t. What if he needed healing? What if he was badly hurt trying to protect him?

“Hm, you have become stronger, haven’t you?” Avith commented as he dodged one of Rahas’ attacks, doing it so effortlessly that was making Rahas increasingly frustrated. “You were trained by someone honourable and ethical, weren’t you?”

Smoothly dodging, Avith suddenly started laughing again. “Ha! Fat lot of good it’s going to do for you!”

Panting slightly, Rahas glared at the other Dark Hunter. “What do you mean?” he demanded.

“Rahas, Rahas, Rahas! What do you think I mean?” Avith smirked, his eyes widen manically. “I’m a complete asshole, remember. I don’t have any honour. So I’m not going to fight fair.”

He suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled something out, a small sachet and, without any hesitation or remorse, threw it directly into Rahas’ face. Rahas made a noise of surprise before he started coughing, staggering on his feet as he frantically rubbed at his eyes. Avith, the ever opportunistic bastard, used the distraction to snare Rahas’ ankle with his whip. With a sharp tug, he pulled Rahas’ leg out from under him, making him fall backwards, hitting the stone path with a hard crash.

“Face it, Rahas,” Avith sneered as he towered over Rahas, raising his arm over his head, ready to bring down his whip in one last attack. “You’ll never be stronger than me.”

“Avith, stop!” Lynus called out as he pushed himself forward. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he had to do something.

Avith’s smirk became more wicked as he made the motion to strike Rahas with his whip, the other Dark Hunter tensing in an attempt to endure the pain. However, before the whip was able to hit Rahas someone else abruptly stepped in, raising his arm to let the whip wrap around that instead.

“Eh?” Avith uttered, a look of surprise flittering across his face as the whip wrapped harmlessly around an arm that was lacking any kind of armour.

Lynus’ breathing hitched in his throat, surprised at the new arrival. However, a mere instant later, a sense of relief washed over him and he sighed. It was Axel! Thank god…

“You,” Axel growled lowly and fearsomely as he peered over his arm, his eyes narrowed fiercely. He then abruptly grabbed the whip with his hand and pulled it harshly, forcing Avith to lurch unwillingly toward him. “Come here.”

“Wha-?”

As Avith stumbled forward, Axel raise his right arm, curled his hand into a fist and _**punched**_ Avith right in the face. He had actually managed to land a blow on Avith. No one, from what Lynus knew, had ever struck him before. The force of the blow was so strong that Avith released his hold on his whip and it threw him backwards, flying through the air a good couple of feet before skidding harshly across the ground on his back.

Straightening his powerful form, Axel threw the whip to the side without a single care, keeping his narrow eyes on Avith. On his face was an expression of silent rage as he slowly approached Avith.

With the threat of Avith undoubtedly subdue, Lynus scrambled over to Rahas to check up on him, casting a couple of refresh spells in order to remove whatever Avith threw at him out of his eyes. He kept an eye on Axel’s back, though, noting with immense relief that while he wasn’t wearing his armour, his axe hung on his back well within easy access.

Scrambling, Avith managed to push himself to his feet, blood pouring down his face from an obvious split lip and broken nose. “Who the hell-?” he hissed, slightly unsteady on his feet, his words terse and slightly spluttering. The punch had clearly left him dazed and confused, and no doubt shocked that someone had the audacity to strike him.

“I should be asking you that,” Axel retorted coolly, yet his voice was steely cold and dangerous.

“It is none of your concern.” Before Axel had the change to react, Zalaph suddenly appeared from the shadows, casting a spell that caused bindings to bound Axel’s arms to his sides, preventing him from using them.

Lynus was unable to hold back as wince as he held onto Rahas. How long had Zalaph been hiding in the shadows? What was he waiting for? He had never witnessed Zalaph in any kind of battle before, so had absolutely no idea what he was capable of.

Axel wasn’t too concerned, though. He peered at Zalaph through one eye, narrowing slightly in pure annoyance. “Oh, really?” he muttered before gritting his teeth and with a low grunt, broke the bindings around him with his own strength. As the thick vines like bindings fell away, he quirked an eyebrow in Zalaph’s direction. “What’s your next trick?”

For the first time since Lynus had known Zalaph, there was a flicker of emotion in his eyes. And it was of fear.

“…I see,” Zalaph murmured as he quickly darted over to Avith, snaring his whip with his cloak as he did so. “Avith, we must leave.”

“I’m not done yet!” Avith said defiantly as he tried to snatch his whip from him.

“Now,” Zalaph hissed as a black mist swirled around them, giving them the chance to make a hasty retreat. Zalaph had to physically whisk the ever stubborn Avith away.

As the mist faded away, Avith and Zalaph nowhere in sight, Lynus sprung to his feet and hastily made his way over to Axel. Axel turned around, opening his arms to allow Lynus to rush into his arms, pressing his face against his chest.

“Lynus,” Axel said as he wrapped his arms securely around him. “Was that-?”

“That…that was Avith,” Lynus answered, his voice trembling as much as his body was.  
   
Axel drew in a sharp breath through his nose, his lips pressed into a thin line. “…You’re safe now,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” Lynus whispered as the day’s events start to catch up on him. He felt like crying as he clung desperately onto Axel. “I should have realised that they wouldn’t let us go so easily.”

“Don’t apologise,” Axel whispered into his ear as he threaded his fingers reassuringly through Lynus’ hair. “They’re soon going to realise that we won’t let you go so easily either.”

Lynus squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face against Axel’s shoulder. “Axel…”

“You’re safe here,” Axel continued to comfort him, his words firm and strong. “You and the others will be safe with my guild. I promise you.”

“I know,” Lynus whispered. “Sorry for causing so much trouble.”

“I told you not to apologise,” Axel sighed, his arms tightening around him just that little bit more. “None of this is your fault.”

“What in the world is going on here?”

Keeping himself pressed against Axel’s chest, Lynus peered around to see Hamza and the other members of the Guardians looking utterly bewildered as they gathered around. Macerio was also there, looking confused and concerned as Lirit clung onto his arm, skittishly looking around. Rahas sat on the ground, clutching his arm, his whip hanging loosely in his hand. He refused to look at them, simply staring at the ground with frustrated defeat on his face.

“What happened?” Hamza asked simply. His voice was soft and understanding, and yet there was this strong need to know the truth.

Lynus drew in a shuddering breath. He…owed them an explanation, huh?

… … … … …

After spending a few moments settling the nerves of his family members, Lynus sat down in a chair, becoming the focus of attention. Secured in a private room at the inn, he was surrounded by his fellow guild-members.

Even Bar-Keep Cass and Inn-Keeper Matron were there, looking for an explanation. Mainly because Cass had been there when Lynus first sighted Avith and saw how terrified he was. And Matron because of Binah, whom she saw as a second daughter due to her friendship with her daughter.

Binah clung onto Matron’s hand, sniffling slightly but refusing to cry. Her eyes were red, though, so she had been crying. Rahas leaned against a wall, his arms folded tightly over his chest. Next to him was Lirit, the Troubadour gripping at the sleeve of Macerio’s coat. Not so much clinging to him, but close enough to find some comfort in his presence.

“You don’t have to go into too much detail,” Hamza said after he was certain that that everyone was present and the room was secure. “But we would like a quick explanation.”

Protectively, Axel stood behind Lynus and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Lynus?”

“It’s ok,” Lynus said softly with a forced smile on his lips. He placed his hand on Axel’s, squeezing it, grateful for the comfort as he drew in a deep breath, steeling himself. He then turned to everyone else, his hand falling from Axel’s to rest loosely on his lap.

“The Dark Hunter’s name is Avith, while the Hexer’s name is Zalaph,” Lynus explained simply, but not really looking at anyone. He gazed down at his lap, at his clenched hands “They were considered two of the most loyal guards of Lord Taksony.”

“Why are they after you?” Macerio asked.

“What kind of connection could you have with Taksony?” Jhon questioned, furrowing his brow slightly.

The name of Lord Taksony seemed to be notorious, so there was no need to explain who the man was to them. They were, no doubt, wondering why a medic of Lynus stature and nature would have any association with the ruthless lord.

“…I’ll start from the beginning,” Lynus said as he clutched his hands together tightly. “Eight years ago, Lord Taksony became infected with an incurable illness. He only had months to live. He wasn’t ready to die, however, so he sought a medic to keep him alive long enough for him to gain immortality.”

Lynus had to pause as he closed his eyes, taking in another deep breath in order to compose himself. What he was about to say brought back so many bitter and painful memories, ones he would have preferred never to recall ever again. Axel felt his fear and reluctance, and gave his shoulder another reassuring squeeze. Lynus felt himself settle down a little from the touch.

“I was that medic,” Lynus whispered.

A chorus of barely suppressed gasps and noises of surprise and shock echoed through the room.

“…You were a hostage?” Macerio asked, his voice soft, barely above a whisper.

“Yeah,” Lynus replied as he opened his eyes, a sad and sorrowful smile slipping across his lips. “We all were.”

“All…?” Hamza murmured, his eyes darting over to rest on Rahas, who in turned looked back at him.

Macerio turned to look at the Troubadour standing next to him. “Lirit?” he questioned, gently nudging him.

“I was only there for a few days,” Lirit admitted with a shaky smile of his own before turning to look at his other family members. “Not like the others…”

Still clutching onto Matron’s hand, Binah peered around, still deeply frightened. “I was there for two years, I think,” she murmured, truly not wanting to remember. “Maybe more…”

As she said that, Matron pulled her into a hug, even Becky moving to offer her some comfort. It must be deeply unsettling for them to hear that such a young and bubbly young lady to have such a harrowing past. Lynus couldn’t help smiling sadly at the sight.

“Tch,” Rahas scoffed as he turned his head away, closing his eyes. “I was born there.”

“I see,” Hamza murmured, turning his gaze away from Rahas to look back to Lynus, prompting him to continue.

“It was my duty to keep Lord Taksony alive and I managed to do so for eight years,” Lynus explained, stumbling slightly over his words. “But…one night…Lord Taksony died. I…managed to escape. Taking Rahas, Lirit and Binah with me. We came to Lagaard…well, you know the rest.”

A dense silence fell over the room as everyone took some time to allow what Lynus had said to sink in. Lynus couldn’t look into anyone’s eyes, though. So he took this silence to reached up and grip at Axel’s hand with his own, holding it tightly and nuzzling it against his cheek. He felt tears sting at his eyes as Axel leaned forward and press a kiss to his head, whispering gentle words of reassurance to him.

Wordlessly, Lynus nodded, grateful for his words. He had to admit, he felt slightly better getting that off his chest. He couldn’t tell them that he was the one that caused Taksony’s death, but he didn’t have to hide anymore. And Rahas, Binah and Lirit didn’t have to hide anymore.

“Any idea why this Avith person is here?” Hamza asked gently.

Lynus shook his head. “I guess Avith doesn’t like it when someone defies him. He’s here for revenge, I suppose.”

“I see,” Hamza murmured and folded his arms over his chest. “Regardless of the reason he’s here, he’s a threat. And we’ll deal with him as such.”

“I’m sorry,” Lynus whispered.

“No, don’t be,” Hamza immediately reassured. “I’m sure you have struggled with this ever since arriving in Lagaard. Regardless, you are a part of this guild, and so it is our duty to protect you and your family.”

“You’ve helped us through our times of need,” Jhon spoke up. “It’s only fair that we do the same for you.”

“We took on the Hellion,” Tobyn added. “I’m sure that we can take on two rogue explorers.”

“Hey, yeah!” Macerio agreed. “You were there, too, remember? If you can handle the labyrinth, you can definitely handle those two.”

“Y-you’re stronger than you think,” Magnus said, slightly timid yet still certain of his words.

“There’s nothing for you to worry about,” Shen said, sounding strangely comforting in his usually stoic manner. “This Dark Hunter and Hexer are going to be in for a surprise if they think they can get through us.”

“Why don’t you take a moment to yourself,” Hamza suggested, smiling reassuringly. “We’ll keep any eye out for those two, but I doubt they’ll be making a reappearance any time soon.”

A lump of emotion lodged in Lynus’ throat and he managed a smile when the other members of the Guardians quickly and readily agreed. Chi-hung paddled over to him and rubbed his head against Lynus’ leg, purring as Lynus reached forward to pat the white tiger on the head.

“Thank you,” he murmured as he stood up from his seat, allowing Axel to wrap an arm around his shoulders and escort him out. He looked as haggard as he felt, but he was also felt very relieved. A great weight was lifted from his shoulders.

His new extended family knew of his past, knew the secrets he had been hiding this entire time, and they still supported him. Accepted him, and the others.

There were literally no words to describe the intense relief he felt.

Hamza watched as Lynus took a moment to gently comfort Binah and Lirit, sharing a few words with the others, telling them that he was ok, that he will be ok.

“Rahas?” Hamza said when it was just he and Rahas alone in the room. “Is he the one you’re trying to become stronger than?”

“Yeah,” Rahas admitted, finally turning to look at him. He appeared frustrated, yet defeated. “He has this thing for Lynus. I doubt he’s here for revenge.”

Hamza furrowed his brow. “He’s here for Lynus?”

“Here to torment him, probably,” Rahas replied with a sigh, leaning his head back to rest on the wall behind him. “That bastard is unpredictable. No one knows what he’s thinking.”

“And the Hexer?”

“…I know nothing about him,” Rahas practically hissed. “He follows Avith around, practically everywhere. I’ve never seen him in battle.”

“I see,” Hamza murmured. “An uncertainty.”

He couldn’t help but feel something was off. If Lord Taksony was indeed dead, why would his cohorts be searching for Lynus? Are there any others? Why only Avith and Zalaph?

What was that Dark Hunter really after?


	41. Chapter 41

Lynus was feeling a little bit emotional right now, his mind in a state of confusion, frustration and disbelief. Not that it was much of a surprise. He had just started to accept that life was good. That everyone was going to be ok. Everything was wonderful.

Then Avith showed up. Almost on cue.

The world was so vast and talk of the outside world while in Taksony’s custody was very limited. So how the hell did he manage to locate him in Lagaard? He never even mentioned the word outside of his own mind and writings. He most certainly never spoke to Avith about such a place.

Zalaph was a Hexer, could he have somehow been able to track him? Hexer were notorious for being unpredictable, mysterious and dangerous after all.

Lynus couldn’t help recalling the night when Taksony died, his last short conversation with Zalaph. He had been so…different that night. Almost as if he knew that Taksony’s life was going to end. And he did nothing to prevent it. If Zalaph had accompanied Lynus to the lord’s bedchambers, then there was no way Lynus would have done what he did. And they would still be toiling under his control.

But he didn’t.

Zalaph simply told him “I’ll leave it to you” and then floated away. Wasn’t he as loyal to Taksony as Lynus first assumed? What were his motivations?

And Avith was a great mystery as well. He was a sleaze, arrogant, egotistical and volatile. But, what happened today left Lynus feeling utterly confused. That cold, serious side he showed when asking about Taksony was something Lynus had never encountered before. It almost seemed as if Avith didn’t want to hurt him. Possess him, yeah, but not hurt him.

It just didn’t make any sense. Lynus simply could not fathom what his intentions were. After all, he was no longer under Taksony’s control, so that meant that he was no longer untouchable.

And that was why he was feeling so unsettled. He just didn’t know.

But, despite all his fears, he felt safe. Lying here, wrapped up in Axel’s powerful arms, he felt protected.

After confiding in the other members of Guild Guardians, Lynus was utterly exhausted mentally and emotionally, so Axel escorted him upstairs to their bedroom where he simply held him. He will admit that he had a sort of a mini break down, crying in Axel’s arms, asking why Avith had to turn up now.

Much like when they were reunited, Axel pulled Lynus onto his lap and held him, whispering words of comfort, reassurance and understanding. And through that, Lynus was able to compose himself. Axel was right when he said that he wasn’t alone. His guild was right when they said they’re in this together.

Since Coming to Lagaard, Lynus had overcome many challenges. He had made new friends, found his true passion and rediscovered the love of his life. He had gotten stronger mentally and emotionally.

Avith had no right to take any of that away from him. And he wasn’t going to let him. While he was frightened of Avith and his motives, he wasn’t terrified of him. Not anymore.

And, to be completely honest, when the shock and surprise of seeing Avith again faded away, Lynus felt kinda angry. How dare Avith think he could just show up and start causing trouble for everyone? Rahas, Binah and Lirit were starting to find themselves, enjoying their freedom. They don’t deserve to be cowering in fear again!

After confessing that, Axel admitted that he was pissed off as well. He saw how much progress Lynus had made. He eased him through it, after all. He also complained that he only managed to get one punch in. He wanted to beat him into a bloody pulp. Lynus found that sort of endearing in a way.

Still, to Lynus, that one punch was impressive and looked painful. And the surprise and shock on Avith’s face was something he found pleasing, although he shouldn’t. Avith had always been the one to merrily drag an injured guard to Lynus for healing. He never needed healing himself in those eight long years.

But, even from the distance that Axel put between them with that one punch, Lynus saw that Avith had a broken nose, a split lip and a few rattled teeth. He was just lucky Axel didn’t have the chance to snare his axe.

Zalaph probably figured they better retreat before Axel did grab his axe.

Axel suddenly mumbled something in his sleep and tightened his hold around Lynus, pulling him against his chest in a protective hold. Lynus allowed him to clutch him tighter, happy to settle against him. His essence, his scent, his heartbeat was all very soothing to Lynus. It caused his fears and worries to momentarily stop.

After they had talked, they both decided to lie down on the same bed. Lynus was between Axel and the wall, Axel lying on his back with his arm around Lynus’ waist as he curled against Axel’s side. It didn’t take Lynus long to fall asleep, utter tired by the day’s events.

He awoke a few hours later to the darkness of night, Axel still sleeping next to him.

Lynus trailed a finger along Axel’s jawline, smiling to himself. Axel was certainly a gift to him, wasn’t he? Strong, protective, understanding.

He hoped that he wasn’t pulling him into danger. Dealing with monsters the labyrinth was one thing. They acted on impulse and animal instincts. Rarely was there a hidden motive behind their actions.

But Avith, on the other hand, was a schemer. He had ways in getting whatever he wanted, never minding the consequences. Unpredictable, violent, talented and powerful.

And what Avith was really after was Lynus himself. He used Binah in order to pull Lynus out of hiding. He wasn’t above using hostages of his own to get his way. Pinning Macerio to the bar showed that he wasn’t afraid to use force against anyone.

If he dared to harm the others, Lynus would…

He would give himself up.

Not something Axel or the others would want him to do. They would be utterly aghast to learn that he was entertaining such thoughts. And he hoped that it won’t come to him sacrificing himself. He really didn’t want to. He wanted to live with Axel and the others. He wanted to continue his medic training and become an explorer. But if it was the only way…

Well, Axel will just have to save him, right?  
   
“Sorry,” Lynus murmured so softly as he leaned forward to kiss Axel on the lips, the sleeping man’s arm tightening around him subtly. He then pulled back and settled himself against Axel’s chest once more.

He didn’t want to cause any trouble.

… … … … …

“Piece of shit! Actually punched me in the face! Can you believe it?”

Darrell had been in the middle of a late night errand when a voice, terse and enraged, pulled him to a stop. Although the voice was indeed bitter, there was also a sense of pain and discomfort. And, being a medic, he felt inclined to as least check up on the person in pain.

Whether or not he’ll administer any healing was entirely up in the air at that point.

Staying in the shadows, Darrell watched as a Dark Hunter with dark blue hair and pale skin paced back and forth in an irritated manner, dabbing a moisten cloth to his bruised and battered face. His movements were terse and abrupt, his body tense with barely suppressed anger.

Just as he had ranted, it appeared as though someone had punched him square in the face. There were a few grazes and tears in his dark clothing, but his face seemed to have suffered the most.

“…He is strong,” a Hexer commented airily, watching his companion pace with little emotion on his face.

“Pah!” the Dark Hunter spat hatefully.

“Avith, that face of yours needs to be fixed,” the Hexer continued rather dryly.

“What? My entire face?”  The Dark Hunter known as Avith asked, turning abruptly to give the other his full. “Not going to be easy, Zalaph, to fix this much beauty.”

The Hexer now known as Zalaph stared blankly. “…Quite.”

Avith sighed rather dramatically. “Man, even your sass is dull.”

“My apologises.”

“Yeah, you sound so sorry,” Avith griped as he suddenly spat onto the ground again. “Am I missing a tooth?”

“Several.”

“Damn bastard! Why’d he have to go punch me in the face? I mean my beautiful face!”

“You are fortunate that he didn’t use his axe.”

“Yare yare. Would have taken my damn head off, I know,” Avith said as he suddenly squatted down to the ground, still cradling his face with his hand. A somewhat serious and stoic expression fell across his face. “…I wasn’t expecting Precious to have a bodyguard.”

Darrell found himself frowning, although he wasn’t entire sure why. There was something about that Avith person that made his skin crawl. While he had met several very conceited explorers in his life as a medic at the hospital, there was a whole new level of arrogance with that man. He just oozed over-confidence.

Completely different from his Hexer companion. There was hardly any sign of aura from him at all.

Darrell was abruptly pulled from his thoughts and observations when the Hexer appeared directly in front of him, his face emotionless as his eyes bored into his. Darrell took a step back in surprise, nearly tripping over his own feet in haste to put some distance between him and the intimidating Hexer.

“Eh?” Avith, the Dark Hunter, uttered as he turned to look in his direction as well. “It’s rude to eavesdrop, you know?”

“I was just passing through,” Darrell replied as he nervously pushed up his glasses. He couldn’t help but stare at Avith’s face, though. Being just that little bit closer he could see that his nose was clearly broken. It must be quite painful.

“What are you looking at?” Avith tersely asked him.

“Your nose is broken,” Darrell commented, equally sharp in his response.

“Wow, shit, really?” Avith said in blatant sarcasm before he stood up to his full height. He seemed to take a moment or two to look Darrell up and down, making the medic feel uncomfortable and a little bit indignant.

“You’re a medic, aren’t ya?” Avith said with a smirk as he approached him with an over-confident swagger. “Can’t you fix if for pretty ol’ me?”

Darrell quirked an eyebrow, but relented. He was asked, after all. He couldn’t really say no. “Fine.”

But that didn’t mean he was going to be careful. Fixing a broken nose wasn’t all that easy. And he didn’t particularly want to stay that close to the arrogant explorer. So he abruptly twisted it, pulled it and snapped it back into place before uttering a cure spell.

“Argh!” Avith bellowed as he reeled back, his hand immediately flying up to clutch his nose. “That hurt! Are all Medics this sadistic?”

Darrell frowned and folded his arms over his chest. “Only if the patient is an asshole.”

He was beginning to understand why he had received a punch to the face.

Avith abruptly laughed, sounding sadistically amused by something. “I like you,” he suddenly said, grinning wickedly as he slid back over to Darrell, invading his personal space by wrapping an arm around his waist. “What did you say your name was, handsome?”

“I didn’t,” Darrell said tersely as he pushed him away from him. “And I won’t.”

“Ooh, a bit feisty, hm?” Avith once again laughed, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Then, he paused and narrowed his eyes as if contemplating something. “Hmm…You might come in handy…”

A sense of unease settled in the pit of Darrell’s stomach. “Pardon?”

“Meh, talking out loud,” Avith said as he waved him off dismissively and turned to walk away, but not before pausing a couple of steps later to leer at Darrell over his shoulder. “We’ll meet again.”

“…Avith,” Zalaph murmured in a somewhat warning tone.

“I know what I’m doing,” Avith replied simply, indicating to Zalaph to follow him. “Let’s go. Before everyone locked up, I heard some interesting gossip. Wouldn’t hurt to check it out.”

Darrell watched until they disappeared from sight before lowering his guard. He didn’t like the feeling he got from those two. And, despite the threat, he hoped he wouldn’t have to encounter either of them again.

… … … … …

A few days had passed and no one had seen hide nor hair of Avith since. And they had been searching for him. Axel and the others. They were being cautious and protective. They hadn’t been able to explorer the labyrinth in the past few days, not with Avith still a threat. Avith could be waiting in the labyrinth, planning an ambush for all they knew. They couldn’t risk it.  
   
Lynus didn’t know what to make of it all. He felt guilty that he was hindering the exploration of the labyrinth. He, however, also felt glad that Avith seemed to have vanished as suddenly as he had appeared, but he couldn’t help asking why. Did he know that Axel was far too strong for him? Was he lying low until his injuries healed? Or was he lying in wait for…something?

He hated this waiting for the unknown. He spent eight years doing just that. He didn’t want to experience it again.

But what he hated the most was how skittish Binah and Lirit were, glancing in his direction with fearful and worried gazes. They had no trouble working out that Lynus would be the main focus of Avith’s wraith. They knew how fond Avith seemed to be toward him.

Well, better me than anyone else, Lynus thought to himself.

“What do you want?”

Lynus was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Axel’s voice. He closed the book he was barely reading in his lap and set it aside as he stood up. He shuffled silently out of his room and lingered near the top of the stairs. He looked over the railing to see Axel speaking with an elderly Gunner he hadn’t met before in the lobby of the inn. Axel had his arms folded across his chest, giving the other man a rather disinterest look as Jhon and Tobyn loitered behind him.

“I ask for a moment of your time,” the Gunner said, quite politely. “I am in need of your expertise.”

“…Is that so,” Axel asked as he peered at him through one eye, sounding just a tad sceptical. He sighed a moment later, however, and roughly ruffled the back of his head. “Well, it better be quick. I have more important things to do.”

“It seems that a medic from the hospital has gone missing.”

“A medic?” Lynus said, unintentionally alerting the two that he was eavesdropping on their conversation. He didn’t mind, though, as he quickly descended the stairs and made his way to Axel’s side. “Who?”

The Gunner with whitish grey hair, bushy eyebrows and facial hair looked at him with an unreadable expression. He studied Lynus for a moment before finally answering, “He’s name is Darrell, I believe.”

“Darrell?” Lynus gasped softly before turning to look at Axel, somewhat desperately. Darrell was a senior medic at the hospital. He was reliable and punctual. He wouldn’t simply go missing. Something must have happened. “Axel, you have to find him.”

Axel looked reluctant. “But…”

“There isn’t a high level of alarm,” the Gunner, whose name Lynus still didn’t know, continued. “But, perhaps, he had run afoul with an aggressive patient?”

Lynus folded his arms across his torso. He couldn’t help but feel concerned. He had worked with Darrell many times. The older man knew how to handle himself. “He wouldn’t have gone into the labyrinth,” he said. “Maybe he’s around town somewhere?”

“Wouldn’t hurt to look, I suppose,” Jhon murmured. “We can do a sweep of our own.”

“Shen and Magnus are about town,” Tobyn added as he folded his arms over his chest. “We’ll ask them.”

Axel sighed as he roughly scratched the back of his head again. “I guess so,” he muttered. “Macerio and Chi-hung are here, so I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have a look.”

He then turned his full attention to Lynus, placing his hands on his shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes. “Stay at the inn. Do not leave,” he said, leaving no room for argument.

“I won’t. I promise,” Lynus replied with a smile, understanding Axel’s reluctance to leave but also his willingness to hunt Avith down himself. He leaned forward and places a chaste kiss to his lips, uncaring that there were others around. “Be careful.”

With much reluctance, Axel and the others left. The older Gunner seemed to linger for a moment, looking at him. And Lynus looked at him, feeling slightly unsettled. Although the older man’s face was completely unreadable, his posture and stance gave a sense of hesitancy. As if he was struggling with something.

However, a moment later, he turned on his heel and hastily made his way out of the inn, appearing to help in the search.

Lynus folded his arms over his torso again as he made his way back upstairs. He didn’t go into his room, however. He continued up the hallway to pause in front of another room. Inside, Binah and Becky sat at a table, papers and pencils scattered around. They were drawing to pass the time.

And Binah, bless her, was trying to remain cheerful and unafraid for Becky’s sake. She wasn’t all that successful as she wasn’t as bubbly as she usually was.

Lynus didn’t know how long he stood, watching over the girls, feeling responsible for them in some way. He smiled warmly and reassuringly when Binah glanced in his direction, her face brightening up when she saw him.

But, just as Lynus was about to step into the room, a sudden chill raced down his spine. A strong sense of ominous danger suddenly washed over him and he stood stock still, the colour draining from his face. He knew that feeling. He couldn’t explain how or why, he just knew.

Danger was coming.

Wordlessly, Lynus crossed the distance between him and the two girls. He took them each up the hand and led them over to the supply closet in the room. “You two hide,” he said simply as he ushered them inside, pushing the two girls together and motioning them to sit down.

“Huh?” Binah uttered as Becky subconsciously clung to her.

“Whatever happens, do not leave this closet,” Lynus whispered as he pulled a few blankets and sheets from the shelves and padded them hastily around the two. “No matter what you hear, do not leave. Stay here and keep quiet.”

“B-but…”

“Stay still. It’ll be ok.”

He then closed the door shut, his hand trembling slightly on the handle. He felt a sense of fear, mixed with determination come over him. No matter what, he wasn’t going to let anyone near this door.

“Remember, whatever happens,” he whispered through the door. “I love you both very much.”

He barely had enough time to step out of the room, hoping to look inauspicious, when the sound of a window being forced open and heavy boots landing on the floor with a thud made him turn. Immediately, his gaze collided with that of the sharp, piercing eyes of a manically grinning Dark Hunter.

“Well, well, well, we meet again.”


	42. Chapter 42

“Well, well, well, we meet again.”

Lynus tried to hide his fear as Avith stood cocky and nonchalant in front of him. Even though he was missing a tooth or two from that shark-like smile of his, he was still very intimidating. And he didn’t appear to be suffering from that punch Axle landed on him some days ago.

“Avith,” he said lowly, his back hitting the closed door behind him. “What do you want?”

Avith made a tisking sound, as if chiding him in some way. “You like to ask stupid questions, don’t you?”

From the open window behind Avith a new figure appeared. Slender and female, with long black hair, an impish smile, a long staff in her hand and robes of a war Magus. She stepped inside and saddled up next to Avith. Obviously, they were in this together.

“Who-?” Lynus began to ask, but narrowed his eyes when a sense of recognition washed over him. “Wait, you’re-”

It was Artelind. The female War Magus he met in the labyrinth while searching for the Snow Blossoms. Why would she be with Avith?

Artelind looked him up and down, hardly impressed. “This is the guy?” she asked, turning her attention to Avith.

“Yep,” Avith smirked as he cocked out a hip and placed his hand on it. “I know he looks a little delicate, but he’s very useful. I assure you.”

“Well, you better be right,” Artelind said as she turned her eyes back to Lynus, that playful expression on her face doing very little to ease Lynus’ nerves.

“What do you want from me?” Lynus asked, directing his question to Artelind. He just could not understand why she would be pairing up with Avith. The first time he met her was in the labyrinth. He has had no contact with her, before or after!

But Artelind continued to smile at him. “You have a higher duty that you need to perform.”

“A higher what?” Lynus spluttered, really not like the way she was looking at him.

“I’ve heard rumours that you can cure all suffering,” Artelind continued, her eyes narrowing slightly. “I want to see.”

“Let’s grab him before those bodyguards of his return,” Avith suddenly commanded, sounding testy and terse.

Lynus felt himself go pale. How could they have known that Axel and the others were away from the inn? Had they been waiting, watching silently from the shadows this entire time? “How did you-?”

A wicked glint appeared in Avith’s eyes as he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a pair of thin rimmed glasses. “Look familiar?”

“Darrell!” Lynus cried as he pushed himself away from the door, making an attempt to snatch the glasses out of Avith’s grip. But the Dark Hunter deftly held the glasses from his grasp, so Lynus hunched his shoulders and slunk back again. “What have you done to him?”

Avith casually tossed the glasses over his shoulder. “He’s the distraction.”

Lynus’ hands fidgeted with the sleeves of his jacket, trying to think of what he should do. Should he make a run for it and hide somewhere, waiting for Axel and the others to return? But if he did, he might be putting everyone else staying at the inn in danger. He had no idea what Artelind was capable of; she must be formidable if she was able to traverse the labyrinth alone.

And what about Axel? What was the distraction? Are they alright? He hoped that they weren’t hurt because of him. And Darrell, he had nothing to do with this!

“Wah!”

“Macerio?” Lynus snapped his attention toward the sound of the cry of surprise, his heart skipping a beat. Avith and Artelind were still standing before him, so who was…?

Shit.

“Zalaph!” Lynus shouted, his panic growing. “Don’t you dare hurt him!”

Avith sniggered and took a step forward, holding out a hand in Lynus’ direction. His smirked grew in malice when Zalaph appeared behind him, looking as stoic as ever. “Well, let’s go.”

Lynus felt trapped and defeated. He slowly turned to look at Avith’s offered hand, looking at it as though it was some kind of demonic entity. He didn’t want to be anywhere near him, he didn’t want to leave the inn.

But…what choice did he have? He didn’t want anyone else to get hurt because of him. He wasn’t worth it. Giving himself up would be the best, after all.

“…Fine,” he whispered as he lifted his hand for Avith to snare.

… … … … …

Axel was starting to get edgy. Something didn’t feel right. There was this feeling of anticipation in the air. He didn’t like being too far from the inn, too far from Lynus, but finding a medic that gone AWOL was taking far too long.

Although he, Jhon and Tobyn had met up again with Shen and Magnus, Axel couldn’t help but feel somewhat suspicious in regards to Wilhelm, the older Gunner following them around, offering suggestions. He just seemed to be tagging along while waiting for some kind of sign.

Axel was on the verge of confronting the Gunner when Wilhelm made another abrupt suggestion.

“Why don’t we check on the outskirts of town?” he said, pointing in the opposite direction of the labyrinth.

Although sceptical and frustrated, Axel and the others agreed. They’ve already checked around the town, checking the back alleyways and asking around. The only place they haven’t searched for Darrell was out of town.

“Let’s be quick,” Axel said before they took off into a sprint. Everyone was getting antsy and edgy. He glanced over his shoulder, noting with mild confusion that Wilhelm was not following them. That fact immediately made him feel a strong sense of trepidation. What kind of trouble or danger could they be running into?

Reaching the outskirts of town, the group paused and took a moment to glance around. Then there was a sound, like something struggling. Axel shared a look with his party before they became defensive, reaching for their weapons as they glanced around. Axel was able to pinpoint the direction of the sound and slowly made his approach.

The sight that greeted them in the small clearing was a real surprise. There was Darrell, but he had been tied to a tree, his back against the tree and his hands tied behind him. He looked haggard and panic-stricken, a make-shift gag in his mouth.

“What the hell?” Axel said as he ran over to him, utterly confused. He pulled the gag from his mouth as Jhon and Tobyn worked on removing his bindings. “What are you-?”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Darrell unexpectedly spluttered the moment the gag was removed, sounding desperate. “I’m just a distraction.”

“Pardon?” Jhon asked as the bindings around Darrell fell away.

Axel reeled his head back, his face paling with the implication of those words. “…Distraction?”

Darrell stepped away from the tree, skittishly brushing at his clothing, highly distressed. “Some Dark Hunter attacked me to get to Lynus,” he explained with a sense of agitation.

“Lynus?” Axel muttered, immediately understanding who Darrell was talking about. “Shit!”

Scrambling, Axel spun around and ran full pace back into town. He cursed himself the entire way. He shouldn’t have left the inn. He should have known that Avith was involved in Darrell’s disappearance. He should never have left Lynus alone!

Making it to the inn in record time, Axel was greeted by another surprising sight as he barrelled into the lobby. Chi-hung was on the floor, scraping his head frantically and desperately against the ground, trying to remove dark bindings, the same kind of bindings that tied Darrell to the tree.

“Chi-hung?” Axel uttered as he skidded over to the white tiger, grabbing the bindings with his hands and snapping them effortlessly.

“A-Axel?”

Turning to glance over his shoulder, Axel’s gaze immediately landed on Lirit and Macerio, the pale and trembling Troubadour trying, without any success, at tugging at the bindings that pinned Macerio’s arms against his sides.

“Macerio!” Axel jumped to his feet and made his way over to them. He knelt down by Macerio’s other side and, once again, broke the familiar bindings around him. “What happened?”

“A Hexer attacked us!” Macerio spluttered as he hastily pushed the bindings away from him.

“Axel!”

Axel barely made it to his feet when something suddenly crashed against him, thin, trembling arms wrapping around his waist. He immediately recognised the pink-haired pigtails. He placed his hands on Binah’s shoulders to push her back slightly so that he could look down upon her face. “Where’s Lynus-?”

“Lynus is gone!” Binah cried, on the very verge of bursting into tears. “Avith took him!”

Axel suspected as much, seeing the carnage of both Chi-hung and Macerio bound, but that didn’t mean he didn’t hope for the opposite. Hearing it only confirmed his fears. “Dammit, I knew I shouldn’t have left. What happened?”

Although beyond frightened, Binah managed to reign in her emotions as she began to explain. “We…we were upstairs w-when Lynus pushed us into a closet, telling us not to get out,” she said, her voice trembling. “A-Avith…I heard his voice. F-Floor 15. I don’t…”

“The fifteenth floor?” Axel questioned, seeking clarification, which he got with a short, wordless nod.

“The Labyrinth?” Jhon questioned as he and the others finally caught up. “Why would he-?”

“There was someone else there,” Binah went on to explain. “A girl’s voice. S-she said something about a higher duty for Lynus.” She suddenly pressed her face against Axel’s stomach, hugging him. “You have to get him back!”

“Don’t worry, we will,” Axel said with firm determination as he petted her on top of her head. Letting the girl cling to him for comfort, he turned to look at the others. “The fifteenth floor, huh? “

“We haven’t fully explored that floor yet,” Jhon said with some trepidation.

“Looks like we’re going to now,” Axel muttered, his anger at the situation, as well as himself, barely suppressed. He drew in a sharp breath, though, in order to control himself. Getting enraged now was not going to be helping anyone.

If Avith had taken Lynus into the labyrinth, fine. He was entering their territory now.

“Macerio, Chi-hung, I need you to find Hamza and tell him what is going on,” Axel commanded as he took Binah by the shoulders and gently pushed her back. “Binah, you best stay here. We will get Lynus back. I promise.”

Binah sniffled as she removed her hold on him and took a step back. “Ok. Be careful.”

Subconsciously, Axel adjusted his axe that was holstered on his back with his right hand. He took a moment to mentally prepare himself. An abrupt jaunt into the labyrinth late in the evening wasn’t going to be easy. They haven’t finished mapping the fourteenth floor, let alone even stepping on the fifteenth, but that didn’t matter. They couldn’t afford to wait. Lynus was in the labyrinth, against his will, with a man that terrified him.

Axel wasn’t going to delay a rescue attempt. Even if he had to go at it alone.

“…I’m sorry.”

Momentarily pulling away from his thoughts, Axel noticed that Darrell had followed them to the inn. The red-headed medic looked flustered and guilty. He must be feeling indignant that he was used to get to Lynus.

“It’s not your fault,” Axel said. No, it wasn’t his fault. Axel blamed himself for falling for such an obvious distraction method. But, most of all, he blamed Avith. Clearly, that Dark Hunter needed to be taught a lesson or two.

But that would have to wait. First, he needed to get Lynus to safety.

“Let’s go.”

… … … … …

Cold. A biting cold that could hurt your very soul.

Painfully, Lynus opened his eyes and all he could see was a field of white. Ice and snow. It was so cold, lying in the snow. He tried to move, but he quickly found that some kind of restraint was preventing him from moving. Wiggling, he realised that he had binding wrapped around his arms and chest. He was literally bound and tied.

“Where am I…?” he murmured.

The sound of crunching snow alerted Lynus that he wasn’t alone. But when he saw Avith leaning over him, he wished that he was alone.

“Finally awake, sleeping beauty?” Avith asked him, that crooked smirk on his lips once again.

The smirking Dark Hunter towering over him immediately made Lynus want to get as far away from him as possible. “Avith?”

“Stop squirming.” Another voice ordered briskly and tersely. “You’ll only hurt yourself.”

As the fog of confusion began to lift, Lynus quickly remembered what had happened; he had handed himself over to Avith and his new ‘friend’ Artelind in order to protect everyone else staying at the inn. And now…he was in the labyrinth? Third Stratum, it seemed.

“Why are you doing this?” Lynus asked, turning his attention to Artelind. “I’ve never done anything to you.”

Artelind looked momentarily uncomfortable, but she held his gaze nonetheless. “I have my reasons.”

“Sit tight, Precious, grown-ups are talking,” Avith crooned mockingly before he righted himself and turned his attention to Artelind as well. He gave her a rather cool look as he folded his arms over his chest. “Anyway, we have a deal, remember?”

Lynus couldn’t help but bristle with a sense of defiance as he struggled to pull himself into a sitting position. “Making a deal with you would be like making a deal with the devil,” he commented tersely, glaring up at Avith.

Avith’s smirked widened as he peered down at Lynus from the corner of his eye. “Oh, but I'm a handsome little devil, aren't I?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Artelind suddenly said, waving a hand dismissively in the air. “I know. Information on Immortality. Got it.”

“Immortality?” Lynus repeated, his brow furrow in confusion. “Why would you want that? Lord Taksony is dead.”

“Do you really think I was going through all that trouble to give that old bastard immortality?” Avith asked him, his expression suddenly becoming much darker.

Lynus felt a shiver race down his spine, although he did his best to hide the understandable fear he was feeling. “…I should have guessed as much.”

“Hmm? Oh, I like this expression,” Avith leered as he squatted down in the snow, leaning in uncomfortably close to Lynus, making him squirm backwards in order to get some distance between them. “A tad frightened, yet defiant as well. “

“Leave him be, Dark Hunter.” A new voice suddenly snapped, a hand grabbing Avith roughly by the shoulder, pulling him to his feet and pushing him thankfully away from Lynus. “He has more important things to do. And he needs to be of full health.”

“Ah, Wilhelm, about time you showed up,” Artelind greeted quite happily.

Lynus looked at the new person and he felt slightly nauseous. He was familiar. He was that Gunner that had reported Darrell missing. He was in on this, too? Does that mean that he was part of the distraction? “You…”

“Oh, suck it, old man,” Avith retorted sharply, ripping himself out of Wilhelm’s grip. “Well, what are we waiting for? I lived up to my part of the deal. Where’s this person who has gained immortality?”

Artelind shared a look with Wilhelm, before turning around and indicating for Avith to follow. “…This way. Don’t let that Medic go.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Avith muttered as he approached Lynus. “Zalaph. Make sure you keep those bindings on him.”

“Understood,” Zalaph replied simply, having been hovering silently in the background the entire time.

Lynus made a noise of fright and surprise when Avith suddenly leant down and scooped him off the snow, throwing him effortlessly over his shoulder. “P-put me down!” he demanded, struggling under Avith’s strong hold.

But it was of no use. With his arms bound to his sides, there wasn’t much he could do. He hung limply over Avith’s shoulder, trying his best to steady his breathing and rapidly beating heart. It was difficult to keep himself from panicking, though. He had no idea what they wanted from him, what this method of immortality would entail, nor did he know whether or not everyone was ok.

Axel…He had to be ok.

“Where’s Darrell?” Lynus asked abruptly, glaring at Wilhelm. “What did you do to him? I’m talking to you, Gunner.”

Wilhelm glanced in his direction, his expression unreadable, before looking away. “He’s not hurt,” he answered shortly. “No one is.”

Whether or not Lynus could actually believe him was debatable, but it did give him a very light sense of reassurance. He had to believe that they were and concentrate on what he could do to help ease his situation.

Walking through a large set of doors, Lynus suddenly felt Avith come to an abrupt stop. “What the hell is this?” he asked, surprised and bewildered.

Lynus squirmed slightly, managing to pull himself up enough to look over Avith’s shoulder. Before them was a large lake of ice, a little smaller than the lake on the twelfth floor. But it wasn’t the large sheet of ice that Lynus (nor anyone else) was looking at.

There, in the middle of the lake on a field of snow was an entity of some kind. Large, gruesome, and yet had a sense of human to it. Tentacles, pinchers and vine like limbs curled and swirled around the upper body of a woman. She had blond hair, cascading over her shoulders and face, her body a crisp light blue, almost like the ice itself. It was wiggling around, the ‘woman’ lolling about aimlessly, moans and groans echoing through the ice cavern.

Lynus nearly stopped breathing. The ominous presence this…monster was emitting was nearly overwhelming. There was so much malice in the air, mixing with a heavy scent of old blood and decaying carcases.

“This is the Immortality you seek,” Artelind suddenly stated, pointing to the creature. “Scylla once died, but she lives now. As this.”

“W-why am I here?” Lynus whimpered, unable to take his eyes off the thing before him.

“You’re here to ease her suffering,” Artelind answered simply, indicating something to Wilhelm with the wave of her hand.

Before Avith or Lynus had the chance to react, Wilhelm suddenly snatched Lynus from Avith’s hold, brushing the Dark Hunter aside. He lifted Lynus into his arms, carrying him almost like a bride as he slid out onto the ice, he and Artelind fearlessly approaching the creature they called Scylla.

“Scylla, it’s me,” Artelind said gently, the human part of the creature lolling toward her as if recognising her. “It’ll be ok now. We’re brought you someone that can ease all your suffering.”

Lynus immediately began to panic, utterly terrified, when Wilhelm deposited him in front of the withering entity. “W-wait, I can’t-”

He was abruptly cut off when Scylla unfurled a large tentacle and curled it around him, lifting him up off the snowy ground and hoisting him high into the air. Lynus’ eyes widened, his mind going completely blank out of fear as he fell slightly limp in her hold. He was lifted up over the human form amongst the pulsating feelers and appendages, the woman peering up at him, her eyes empty and cold.

Oh god…was he going to die?

Amongst the frightened and terrified thoughts, Lynus heard a slight murmur. It was soft, almost ghostly, he first brushed it off as hearing things. But he heard it again, louder and more feminine. “A…A voice?”

“… _help me_ …”

Lynus paused as he listened. It was coming from… “Scylla?”

Scylla rolled her head back to an angle that was completely inhuman. “ _It hurts_ …”

The pain in her voice was so absolute that Lynus found himself pushing aside his fear, his medic part of his personality far too strong to ignore it. “What happened to you?” he asked softly, still staring down at her face.

“… _A god's punishment_ …”

“Punishment?”

“… _near death…saved…at a price…Existence far…too_ …”

“You’re…in so much pain,” Lynus whispered, his heart going out to the being before him. He felt tears prick at his eyes as her pain and suffering was just so intense, so palpable. “I can feel it.”

“… _stop it_ …”

Suddenly, the tentacle holding him tightened and a sicking feeling of the wind being forced from his lungs. The familiar sensation of his healing spirit made his hands and arms tingle, but this time he wasn’t the one calling forth this power. No, it was being forced from him.

“ _Make…it…stop_ …”

“No, wait! Please!”


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43:

Stepping from the Geomagnetic Pole into a rather medium size room, Axel glanced around at the snowy surroundings, frantically searching for any sign of Lynus. He and his party had barely set foot on this floor before, so they were immediately at a disadvantage. Whoever had aided Avith in the kidnapping of Lynus obviously resided in Lagaard. There was no way Avith would have been able to reach this floor by himself.

“Ok, this is the fifteenth floor,” Axel murmured under his breath as the others gathered around him, they, too, frantically looking around.

“Where could they be?” Jhon asked anxiously, knowing full well that they had a difficult task ahead of them.

Tobyn suddenly knelt down into the snow, seemingly searching for something. He brushed aside a few fluffy snowflakes with his hand, his brow furrowing. “Footprints are going that way,” he said as he pointed to the southward opening.

Thank goodness that Tobyn was an experienced tracker. At least now that had some idea where to head now, a lead to follow. Wordlessly, Tobyn jumped to his feet and dashed in the direction he had pointed in. Axel and the others were hot on his heels. Although the thick snow and the blandness of their surroundings made it difficult to hastily navigate this floor, they weren’t to be deterred.

Axel needed to find Lynus. No matter what it took, he had to find him and save him. He had promised that nothing would harm Lynus ever again. And he meant it. It was a promise he was going to keep, no matter who or what got in his way.

“Hey!”

Startled, Axel and the other pulled to an abrupt stop. He glanced over his shoulder to see a somewhat familiar blue-haired Survivalist appear from around a bend, and behind him, a War Magus, a Protector, a Hexer and a Medic. Axel immediately recognised the group, specifically since they were the same guild that Lynus had helped, helping War Magus Hedrick’s daughter give birth.

“What are you-?” Axel started to ask.

“We heard what happened,” Shelia, the female Protector, said as she and her guild reached them. “We want to help.”

Darrell was also with them, fidgeting with his glasses as he panted slightly. “It’s my fault that Lynus is here,” he said, still feeling intense remorse and guilt for what had happened. There was nothing he could have done to prevented it, but it still felt responsible in some way.

“We’ll aid you in your search,” Hedrick said. It wasn’t a suggestion and it was clear by the firmness in his voice that he was not going to take no for an answer.

“Thank you,” Axel said in earnest. “We appreciate it.”

“Let’s separate,” Jhon went on to suggest, taking on a commanding role. “Our only concern is Lynus’ safety. Exploring will have to wait.”

“Of course,” Hedrick readily agreed, nodding his head once. He then turned to Darrell, clasping his hand on his shoulder. “Darrell, stay with us. We’ll protect you.”

“Sure.”

Noting that they were standing before a fork in the path, the two different guilds shared on wordless look before Axel and his team went west while Hedrick and his guild went east. It felt somewhat reassuring to know that they didn’t have to search the entire floor by themselves. It didn’t matter to Axel at this point in time who found Lynus first. He wasn’t a selfish hero, wanting to be the only one to protect him.

He just wanted him safe.

Throwing open a set of doors, the party ran unheeded into the large chamber, only to come to an abrupt stop when something trundled into view. An elephant type creature, red in colour with huge tusks, towered before them. It was snorting, its trunk swinging about violently. And it was blocking their path.

“What the hell is that?” Shen, surprisingly asked, tensing as he stared up at the creature before them.

“I…think that’s an Armoth,” Tobyn muttered as he slowly reached for his bow.

Axel grabbed the handle of his axe in a tight grip, gritting his teeth in frustration. “Whatever it is, it’s something we don’t have time to deal with.”

He narrowed his eyes when it appeared that the monster, no FOE, before them was readying itself to attack. It dug at the snow with its foot, its head thrashing back and forth. Axel removed his axe from his back, gripping the handle with two hands. He didn’t want to engage in battle – it would only waste time!

Digging his heels into the snow, Axel was ready to spring forward to use the attack Stunner. It didn’t work all the time, but hopefully it would this time, giving them enough time to slip around this creature and continue with their search.

“Hyargh!”

Axel immediately paused when another Landsknecht suddenly appeared, his axe hitting the Armoth on the head, not killing it, but stopping it mid-charge. “Eh? Simmons? The hell?”

“What are you waiting for, idiots?” Gerald shouted as he skidded into view, cocking his gun as he aimed it FOE. “We’ll take care of this thing.”

Next to him, Tiffany was doing the same, her face creased into a deep but determined scowl. “I’m not doing this for that twerp, got it?!”

Axel was somewhat surprised to see them. “You…?”  
   
Hexer Kerri floated into view, effortlessly gliding over the snow. She cast a spell, binding the monster’s legs to prevent it from moving. She then turned to Axel, leaning well into his personal space to deliver a message of sorts. “The other Hexer will prove useful,” she said, her voice stern. “Follow him.”

Axel found himself staring dumbfounded at the Hexer before him, at first not truly understanding what she had meant. Was she referring to that Hexer called Zalaph?

It didn’t matter.

Axel nodded as he holstered his axe onto his back once more, as it would be easier for him to run. He turned to the others, sharing a look with Jhon. “Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Darting around the battle, Axel and the others continued their search. The paths on this floor were so long and winding. They were so frustrating, so maddening. It was taking time, time they really couldn’t afford. Lynus was on this floor somewhere, and in desperate need of help. They had to get to him before…before…

No, dammit, he didn’t want to think about it.

Throwing open yet another set of doors, Axel and his party came to an abrupt stop. Standing in the middle of a hall with four icy pillars, was a young female War Magus. She stood in the snow, unbothered by the cold surrounding her. And behind her stood Wilhelm, as stoic as ever, twin guns in his hands. Not draw and ready for combat, but hanging idly in his hands, ready to be wielded at a moment’s notice.

“This is as far as you can go,” Artelind stated quite harshly, despite the impish grin on his lips and a slight bounce in her step.

Axel narrowed his eyes. “You…”

Slowly the group approached the two, cautious and suspicious. “Why are you getting in our way?” Jhon asked as he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“…Are you the ones who took Lynus?” Axel accused, his anger barely in check. He didn’t have the capacity to feel shocked or betrayed. He glanced over to Wilhelm, his eyes narrowing further and he clenched his jaw tightly. “I guess you were part of the distraction, huh?” he practically sneered.

His face ever emotionless, Wilhelm simply stared at Axel. However, his eyes quickly darted away to look at anything else but Axel, a subtle sense of remorse on his face. But it was incredibly hard to tell.

“What if we are?” Artelind suddenly chirped, sounding far too cheerful while confessing to such a torrid event. She seemed proud of herself in some way.

Her smirk instantly made Axel bristle and he quickly removed his axe from his back, swinging it effortlessly through the air and holding it tightly in his two hands. “Tell me where he is,” he snarled. “Now.”

Artelind scoffed lightly, dismissing Axel’s demand. Then the two of them began spouting some nonsense about the former leader of their guild perishing in the labyrinth and somehow returning, but at a price. Yada yada yada. Normally, Axel would have listened with mild interest, even sympathy as it would devastate anyone to lose a cherished friend and teammate.

But as of right this very moment he wasn’t listening to a single word they were saying.

“That’s all well and depressing, but I don’t care,” Axel snapped harshly, interrupting the two.

Shen slowly unsheathed his blade, pointing his katana in their direction. “Your sob story does nothing to warrant your actions,” he said, his voice as frigid as the air around them.

“Tell us where Lynus is!” Magnus stated, actually raising his voice, simmering with a sense of anger.

Jhon followed suit, wielding his sword and lifting his shield. “We will go through you two by force, if we have too!” It wasn’t a threat, it was a promise.

Tobyn said nothing, only drawing his bow to full strength, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Artelind looked mildly surprised, before looking outraged as she drew her weapon. It was almost as if she couldn’t fathom why they weren’t at least a little bit sympathetic. Wilhelm, on the other hand, seemed to have predicted their hostility. Even so, he drew his own weapons in ready for battle.

Two against five may seem unfair, but Axel and his teammates had never fought against these two experienced explorers before. Nor have they even witnessed them in battle. And they do traverse the Labyrinth alone on occasions. There is no doubt that these two will prove to be formidable opponents.

“Axel!”

Momentarily taking his eyes off the two before him, Axel glanced over his shoulder. “Hamza?” he uttered, relieved to see him.

“We’re here, too,” Macerio said as he, along with Chi-hung, Lirit and Rahas also raced over to them. They surprisingly pushed past them, placing themselves between Axel’s team and Guild Esbet.

“I do not know the entire situation,” Hamza said as he pushed to the front of the group, pulling his blade and holding it in an offensive manner. His face was creased into a look of stony determination. “But if these two are interfering, than allow us to engage them in battle. You, Jhon, Tobyn, Magnus and Shen continue forward.”

“Thanks, Hamza,” Axel said as he holstered his axe once more.

“Where is Avith?” Rahas asked as he looked around in a rather restless manner, clenching and clenching his grip around the handle of his whip.

“Right here.” Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Avith ambled into view, that cocky grin on his lips as obnoxious and infuriating as ever. “Looking for me? I’m honoured.”

Rahas immediately snarled. “You won’t be for much longer.”

As much as Axel desperately wanted to beat the living shit out of Avith, doing a lot more than breaking his nose, he’ll leave that obnoxious Dark Hunter to Rahas. He had more important things to go.

“I’ll leave that bastard to you,” Axel said to Rahas.

Rahas nodded as he cracked his whip. “Just find Lynus.”

Without a second to spare, Axel darted around the two members of Guild Esbet, heading for the large set of doors on the northern side of the chamber. But, yet again, before they could reach the doors, Axel found himself coming to an abrupt stop as someone else appeared before them. This time by a single lone figure, but ominous and intimidating nonetheless. In a clock of red and black, Zalaph hovering over the snow, his skin as pale as the snow around them.

“Tch,” Axel spat, becoming more and more frustrated with all the distractions and interruptions. “What do you want?”

Zalaph studied him silently for a moment, his eyes seemingly looking right through him. However, a moment later, he sighed and turned. “…There is a short cut.”

Axel was slightly surprised to hear that. “What?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

“Do you think we’re stupid?” Tobyn snapped. “You could be leading us into a trap for all we know.”

Zalaph’s flickered over to Tobyn and the rest of their party. “Isn’t it worth the risk?” he asked without a sense of emotion.

Axel suddenly remembered the brief message Hexer Kerri had uttered to him. She said that a Hexer would prove useful and to follow him. Him. She had to be talking about Zalaph. Fine. He’d follow the devil itself if it meant finding Lynus.

“…Go on then,” he said.

Zalaph nodded his head once before quickly darting forward, slipping through the group and leading them in the direction they had just came. “This way.”

“Axel, this-!”

“Let’s go.”

Axel knew his that guild was putting up with a lot from him, and he made a silent promise to make it up to them some time later. After he got Lynus back.

They remained loyal and faithful as Axel followed Zalaph, noting with mild confusion that he seemed to be leading them back toward the Geomagnetic Pole. Darting toward the upper left-hand side of the entrance of floor fifteen, Zalaph disappeared, pushing past the thick brush of the wall.

Barely faltering in his pace, Axel followed and found himself in a secret passage way. It was somewhat frustrating to realise how close they were to finding Lynus when they first stepped on the fifteen floor.

They scrambled down a narrow path, slipping across paths of ice before they reached an opening that revealed a large room with a lake of ice. Zalaph led them around the edge of the lack, leading them toward the northern wall. He then came to a stop and turned to look south, indication for Axel to do the same with a slight lifting of his chin.

Axel came to a halt near him and looked in the direction he was indicated. In the middle of the lake of ice, surrounded by rusted and frozen weapons was a withering mass of vines, pinchers and tentacles. It seemed to be alive, an entity of some kind. A powerful and dangerous one, most likely, according to the mass of weapons and armour were scattered around.

“What the hell is that?” he asked as the others gathered around him, panting slightly from the strain of running through the snow.

“Lynus is over there,” Zalaph stated.

Axel almost stopped breathing, his eyes becoming wide as he began to frantically search the sight before him. “What?”

“He was captured to keep this immortal being alive,” Zalaph explained simply.

“Immortal?” Jhon repeated, his brow furrowing in confusion and disbelief.

“How can one keep an immortal alive?” Shen asked, incredulous.

Tobyn shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“…I think this monster was the woman those two were talking about earlier,” Magnus murmured. He must have paid some attention to what Artelind and Wilhelm were saying earlier.   
   
“Correct.”

Axel, however, didn’t really care what the creature was. All that mattered was that Zalaph said Lynus was somewhere near it. Somewhere that was too close, in too much danger. Explanations and reasons could come later.

Frantically searching the withering and twisting mess for Lynus, Axel quickly spotted him. But finally laying his eyes on him didn’t ease his fears or concerns. Lifted high above the powerful and dangerous creature, hanging limply in a large tentacle, was Lynus. The serpent-like feeler was furled around his middle, one arm hanging loosely over the side, his head bowed forward, his hair messy and falling over his pale face. And he was unmoving.

Axel felt sick to his stomach, his mind refusing to believe the worst. No, he was just unconscious. He wasn’t dead. If he was, Axel would know as his heart would simply break.

“I see Lynus,” he muttered as he hastily, and most likely recklessly, slipped across the frozen lake. Skidding onto the snow covered island in the middle of the lake, he extracted his axe when he saw that amongst the wreathing mass was the figure of a human, a female one. Despite the mangled mess of snake-like tentacles and feelers, the monster seemed almost peaceful.

Until Axel took another step forward.

“Scylla is reacting,” Zalaph murmured, a very mild sense of trepidation in his voice.

Axel gritted his teeth in frustration, pushing aside his own fear. “What do we do?” he asked.

“We have no choice,” Jhon stated as he quickly drew his weapon, holding his shield in a defensive manner. His face was creased into a determined look. “We need to fight it.”

“This won’t be easy,” Tobyn murmured as he placed a strong arrow into his bow, his mind racing in order to think of some kind of strategy. “But it’s really the only way.”

“Axel,” Shen said, gaining Axel’s attention. “We will draw the creature’s attention. You ensure Lynus’ safety.”

Axel nodded his head once in understanding. “Right.”

Slipping off to the right while the others darted off to the left, Axel immediately headed directly toward Lynus. His blocked any attacks Scylla threw at him with his shield and striking back with his axe. It didn’t matter how many times Scylla tried to hit him; he was either going to dodge or block it.

Nothing would deter him from getting to Lynus.

“Lynus!”

Slowly, Lynus opened his eyes. His usually sparkling violet eyes were dimmed and hazy, as if from exhaustion and pain. “A…Axel?” his whispered, his voice croaky and slightly breathless. Realisation appeared in his eyes and he weakly reached out his hand toward Axel, his arm trembling from the effort.

Dodging a wild tentacle, Axel gripped his axe with both hands as he deftly clambering onto the monster’s body. He quickly located the base of the tentacle holding Lynus. “Hang on!” he said as he brought the axe behind him before swinging it around, using his sheer strength and determination to cut through the limb in one strike.

Scylla screamed as blood spilled from the cleanly cut-off limb, the tentacle falling onto the snow, Lynus falling along with it. Axel ignored the blood and scream of pain, though, as he jumped away from Scylla and scrambled his way over to Lynus. He dropped his axe as he fell to his knees, frantically pulling at the thing still curled around Lynus.

“Lynus!” Axel said as he pulled Lynus into his arms, holding him close to him. His concern and fear grew in intensity when Lynus fell limp in his hold, his eyes half-lidded, his body uncomfortably cold.

Holding him close, Axel leapt to his feet and carried Lynus away from Scylla and to a place of reasonable safety. He ducked behind the party, letting the others distract Scylla, whom seemed to be reacting badly now that Lynus was no longer within her grasp.

Kneeling in the snow, Axel blocked out Scylla’s wailing and shrieking as he cradled Lynus in his arms. He was hardly moving, not even shivering. Axel wasn’t a medic. He had no idea what that meant, but he was fairly certain that it wasn’t good that Lynus was hardly responding.

“Lynus?” Axel said as he threaded his fingers through Lynus’ hair, cradling him against his shoulder. “Say something.”

Slowly, Lynus opened his eyes to gaze up at him. He then lifted his hand to gently touch the side of Axel’s face. His lips moved, as if saying something, but he was too tired to speak. Axel lowered his head so that Lynus could whisper what he wanted to say into his ear. “…Target the human. One strike. Cease the suffering.”

“Lynus?” Axel murmured, somewhat surprised by his words, gripping at Lynus’ hand as he rested heavily against him. His eyes seemed so tired, having a hard time staying open. But Axel understood what he meant. It was the only way for them to survive. “I understand.”

Placing a kiss to Lynus’ lips and folding his hand over his torso, Axel gently lowered Lynus back onto the snow. “Magnus!” he called to the Alchemist. “Take care of him.”

Magnus nodded as he fumbled through the snow over to them. He immediately dropped down onto his knees and pulled Lynus’ upper body onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around him in an attempt to keep him in a comforting manner, as well as to keep him warm, as he uttered elemental spells under his breath.

Knowing that Lynus was safe, Axel turned to the task at hand. Scylla had to be stopped; for everyone to be safe, for any explorer who ventured on this floor, but more importantly - for Scylla herself.

Sprinting forward, Axel dodged the well-executed attacks and spells by his teammates to scoop up his axe from the snow. Scylla’s movements were becoming more frantic and desperate, unpredictable and dangerous. But Axel wasn’t worried. He had a task to do. And he would achieve it.

Standing amongst the withering tentacles and serpent like limbs, Axel stood over the only human part of the whole entity. He lifted his axe as he stared down at the woman, whom of which was snarling and wailing up at him, her eyes glazed and her face contorted with pain.

“Keep still, Scylla,” Axel said as he held onto his axe with both hands, lifting it up over his head. “This will be quick. I promise it won’t hurt anymore.”

For a mere moment a look of peace seemed to come over Scylla as he lowered his axe, the weapon easily slicing through the skin of her neck, down to her chest. He paid little mind to the blood that splurged out, coating his axe. He didn’t feel any sympathy or pity, and most certainly not empathy. It was something else. Ah, yes, it was mercy. It was the only thing he could do; be merciful and end the suffering.

With one last gurgle of air, Scylla stilled before falling limp, the withering tentacles and feelers doing the same. They flopped down onto the snow, completely motionless.

Tugging back his axe, Axel leaned forward to close her eyelids. “Sleep now,” he murmured. It appeared as if she had a smile on her face. Perhaps she was happy now that the pain had stopped. Pain could make a person go mad, after all.

“Scylla!”

Jumping from the deceased Scylla, Axel lugged his axe through the snow, staining it red behind him as he walked. He watched idly, feeling suddenly weary, as Artelind clambered through the thick snow to reach Scylla’s side. She climbed onto the mass of tangled feelers, her hand reaching out to gently touch the side of Scylla’s face. Her face paled before creasing into an expression of sadness and outrage.

She spun around and glared hatefully at Axel. “You killed her!” she accused, her voice high-pitched and echoing throughout the cavern.

Axel simply gazed at her, easily looking her in the eyes. “It’s your fault,” he said without emotion. “You forced me to choose.”

Artelind reeled her head back in shock, her mouth opening and closing. But she was unable to form any words, rendered speechless by his short but powerful retort. Slowly, her anger and hatred faded into uncontrollable mourning. She started crying, throwing herself down next to Scylla’s still form.

Axel began walking through the snow once more, passing by Wilhelm, giving the older Gunner a hate filled glare. The other explorer had the decency to look guilty and remorseful, but it did little to quell Axel’s fury toward him.

“A-Axel!” Magnus unexpectedly screamed. “He’s not breathing!”


	44. Chapter 44

Beads of sweet clung to heated skin, even as flakes of soft snow rained down around them. Hamza breathed deeply, puffs of mist appearing before his lips each time he breathed out. He felt tired, really feeling his years. Facing off against monsters that inhabited the labyrinth was one thing, but battling against fellow explorers was something else entirely.

It was not a pleasurable experience by any means, but it was necessary. And he was inwardly proud to note that the ‘rookies’ of his guild had proven themselves in battle. Rahas had reign in his anger and self-hatred, battling against Avith. And, although frightened beyond thought at seeing the figure of his past, Lirit had managed to pull himself together. His resolve to help Lynus greatly outweighed his fear, working effortlessly with Rahas.

While that unpredictable Dark Hunter was busy, finding some masochistic joy in facing off against two of his former victims, Hamza, Macerio and Chi-hung engaged War Magus Artelind and Gunner Wilhelm in battle.

He did not know why Guild Esbet had decided to join forces with the Dark Hunter, Avith. Nor did he care to learn. They had wilfully taken Lynus into the Labyrinth, completely against his will. That went beyond all rational thinking and ethics. And to be completely honest, the thought that they could do whatever they want with anyone they want was truly offensive. He was certain that they had their reasons, but they were insignificant compared to the life of a complete innocent.

Sheathing his blade, Hamza straightened his form and looked over the battlefield of snow before him. The battle was over. He and his guild had won. Of no surprise, really. Their reasoning for battle was far greater and sincere than those of Guild Esbet.

“Well, shit,” Avith muttered as he slumped into a pile of snow, his head thrown back as he looked up at the canopy above. “That’s annoying.” He then lolled his head to the side to glance at the other two explorers that were in his company. He glared at them through one eye, looking incredibly disgruntled and irritated. “You two suck.”

Leaning heavily against her staff, using it as a crutch, Artelind staggered to her feet and began to fight her way through the snow. “Scylla…”

Behind her, moving wordlessly, Wilhelm pulled himself to his feet and with supreme control; he walked off, showing no sign in his exhaustion or pain. Where they were going, Hamza could only guess. And once again, he didn’t really care.

As far as he was concerned, they had lost all integrity. They were of no concern to him anymore.

Avith suddenly sighed dramatically as he reached into his leather jacket. “Where’s me ciggies?”

Hamza strode over to the Dark Hunter and stood before him in a slightly intimidating manner. “I think you should explain yourself,” he said, not as a suggestion, though.

“Not without a ciggy,” Avith grumbled as he began to frantically his clothing. He groaned loudly as he slumped into the snow pile once again. “Zalaph! Bastard, I need my cigarettes!”

Seemingly out of nowhere, Hexer Zalaph appeared, hovering off the snow by a few inches as he used the tears of his cloak to throw something at Avith, the small box-like parcel hitting him on the head. “Here.”

Avith was completely unfazed as he caught the box as it rebounded off his head. “Where the hell have you been?” he asked, tersely, glaring up at him.

Zalaph levelled him with an equally sharp gaze. “Where do you think?”

“Don’t get snippy with me,” Avith snapped as he opened the box, revealing a few cigarettes and pulling one out. He popped it between his lips and pulled out a match, striking it and lighting his cigarette.

He did it so irritatingly slow that Hamza felt his right eye twitch. It was pretty clear that he was doing it on purpose.

“So…” Avith murmured as he drew in a breath. “He’s still alive, then.”

“…You could say that.”

“I’m starting to get a bit impatient with you,” Hamza said, voicing his frustrations, resentment and anger.

“Oh no, how rude of me,” Avith responded, mockingly remorseful. He soon became serious, though, pulling the red-hot cigarette from his lips. “So…what do you want?”

Hamza had a lot of questions, so it was best to get straight to the point. “Why are you really here?”

Surprisingly, Avith answered quite quickly, without that sadistic mirth in his voice. “Immortality.”

Hamza arched an eyebrow. “You’re searching for it?”

Avith snorted. “I’m debunking that shit.”

“What do you mean?” Rahas demanded to know as he took place by Hamza’s side, still glaring hatefully at the other Dark Hunter.

“Do I have to spell it out to you?” Avith retorted as he heaved himself into a sitting position, seemingly uncaring that he was sitting in a pile of snow. “Myths of immortality are everywhere and people are hell-bent on achieving it, regardless of who or what gets in their way.”

“Immortality cannot happen,” Hamza stated resolutely, outwardly calm, but inwardly he was wondering what immortality had to do with the kidnapping of Lynus. “It is impossible.”

“Exactly,” Avith said as he took a drag of his cigarette. “But try telling that to the shit-heads out there. Taksony was only one of many.”

“Don’t give me this crap!” Rahas suddenly snapped, as terse and impatient as ever. “Are you telling me you’re on some crusade or something?”

Avith immediately began to laugh. Not a chuckle, but a loud, obnoxious guffaw, which immediately made Rahas bristle. So much so that Hamza had to grab his shoulder to prevent him from launching himself at Avith.

“You’re a funny little shit, aren’t you?” Avith sniggered.

“He’s not worth it,” Hamza whispered to Rahas. “He’s doing it on purpose.”

After a few tense moments, Rahas calmed down, and so did Avith. Starkly different from the loud, boisterous and obnoxious personality was his serious side. His face was completely blank, his eyes searching and narrow. He seemed to study Rahas for a moment, a small flicker of realisation in his eyes. Was he, perhaps, realising that he had changed?

Suddenly, Avith flicked away his cigarette into the snow and rested his elbows on his knees. He seemed to have come to some kind of clarity. A decision had been made. “I’ll tell you one thing, though; immortality isn’t nearly as difficult as all this shit.”

Hamza furrowed his brow in puzzlement. “What do you mean?”

“Healers.”

Macerio approached cautiously, with Lirit and Chi-hung close behind. “What about them?” he asked.

“Talented healers are born, not made,” Avith began to explain, sounding oddly honest and grim. “Potentially, healers can prevent the aging process. They can regenerate cells, heal mortal wounds and even bring a person back from death. But, as with every other supposed method of immortality, there’s a catch. The healer has to want to heal that person. Precious may have had been able to keep old man Taksony alive for eight years, but the bastard never got any better. And why would he?”

A flicker of understanding appeared on Rahas’s face. “The old man kidnapped Lynus and forced him to become his personal medic.”

Avith gave a sharp nod. “Exactly.”

“Hatred, resentment, fear,” Zalaph unexpectedly said, entering into the conversation. “They are very strong and negative emotions.”

Avith nodded again before flicking his gaze toward Hamza, looking him straight in the eyes, holding his gaze fearlessly. “You better watch your medic friend.”

Hamza narrowed his eyes. It didn’t sound much like a threat, but a warning. “Oh?”

“If I figured out a possible way to gain immortality, some other asshole might,” Avith responded sharply.

“Lynus is a very talented healer, as you all know,” Zalaph stated, his voice as cool and emotionless as ever. “His skills are renowned. Is that a good thing?”

While a bit of discernment would be well advised, what they were saying made sense.  The power of which healers held was something that a lot of people could not comprehend. The power over life and death, the ability to heal mortal wounds, the talent to cure all ailments with a touch. Healers in general were amazing.

But perhaps Lynus was different. His had been through so much pain and suffering himself, and yet he continued to offer healing to others, expecting nothing in return. He had kept a man alive for eight years. He was only ten at the time. Quite extraordinary, really.

“Hmm, I see,” Hamza murmured as he stroked his chin in thought. “Yes, there are probably many others like Taksony out there.”

“But Lynus likes healing,” Lirit piped up. “There’s no way he’d stop.”

“We kinda figured that he would be so traumatised by those eight years that he’d go into hiding. But, noooooo,” he said dramatically, reaching out for another cigarette, seemingly having reached his ability to remain grim and serious. “He had to go and be a life saver. Goody two-shoes.”

“Is that how you found him?” Hamza questioned.

“Explorers like to talk, you know. Right blabbermouths,” Avith snorted, sounding disgruntled. He lit his cigarette and perched it between his lips once more as he heaved himself to stand on his feet, dusting the snow from his clothing. “Welp, that’s enough from me. Let’s go, Zalaph.”

“Where are you going?” Rahas asked.

“Why?” Avith smirked, abruptly returning to his cocky self. “Want me to stay?”

“Hardly!” Rahas all but snarled, his hand seeking out the handle of his whip. “I just want you to leave Lynus alone.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Avith said as he waved a hand dismissively in their direction, not remotely intimidated. “We’re going back to Etria. Need to debunk the immortality rumours there.”

There was something that had been gnawing at Hamza since the beginning of this strange conversation. “Why are you so intent on your quest?”

“Looking to hear my backstory?” Avith continued to smirk before he turned away and shrugged his shoulders in an irritatingly indifferent manner. “Well, what is there to say? Me old woman, mother for you old timers, was obsessed with beauty and youth. Found a supposed ritual to gain her deepest desires. Tried to use me as a sacrifice.”

Hamza felt his eyes widened slightly at the admission, those with him trying to smother their own gasps of surprise.

Avith, however, seemed to find some joy in their reactions, grinning like a maniac. “Yeah. Didn’t work, obviously. She went batshit crazy. Killed herself.”

Rahas was silent as he stared at Avith, no doubt trying to gauge whether or not they could trust his words. He then turned to glance at Zalaph, eyeing him off sceptically. “…What about you?”

“I, too, was used in a ritual,” Zalaph was swift in his reply. “I wasn’t born a Hexer. Avith saved me.”

“Don’t say that. You’ll ruin my badguy reputation,” Avith stated rather loudly, throwing his arms into the air in a displeased manner. He abruptly shoved his hands into his pockets and turned his back to Hamza and the others, motioning for Zalaph. “Let’s go.”

“Yes,” Zalaph dutifully replied, nodding his head once.

Wordlessly, the two began to walk away. And Hamza watched them until they disappeared amongst the fields of snow and bare trees. He did not know whether they would see those two again. One day, maybe. But something told him that should they meet again, they won’t prove to be much of a threat.

Completely unpredictable, but not threatening.

“Hamza?” Lirit gently nudged him, asking a silent question.

“Leave them,” Hamza replied. “We have more important things to contend with.”

… … … … …

“H-he’s not breathing!”

The entire world seemed to stop as those words echoed through the icy cavern. Axel’s heart seemed to stop, his vision narrowing. Those words immediately caused a wave of utter panic to wash over him.

The next thing Axel knew was that he was kneeling in the snow next to Lynus, Magnus desperately and frantically trying to wake up him. Pushing Magnus aside, he quickly gathered Lynus up into his arms, his panic and concern increasing when Lynus didn't move. He was like a rag-doll, completely limp, a dead weight.

Cradling his far too still form against his chest, Axel threaded his fingers through the back of Lynus' hair, tilting his head up toward him. His face was so pale, ghostly. It was unnerving.

No…he can’t be…

“Lynus!” Axel pleaded, giving him a slight, soft shake. When that prompted no response, he shook harder. “Please, wake up.”

What could he do? What needed to be done? He wasn’t a medic! He didn’t know how to help someone. But he wasn’t breathing. He had to do something.

He looked up at the others, seeing them looking down at him with panic and fear on their faces. “What do we do?” he asked desperately.

The others had no answer. Tobyn shook his head mutely as Jhon wrapped an arm around him in some form of comfort. Magnus clung to Shen as he sat sprawled out on the snow, Shen having knelt down to be by his side. They wore identical expressions of panic, fear and disbelief.

“Use this.” Suddenly a bottle of some kind of medicine appeared in Axel’s line of vision. He glanced in that direction, noting that the one offering the tonic was none other than Wilhelm. “It should help.”

Not knowing what the bottle contained, Axel snatched it anyway. Any kind of medicine would be greatly useful.

Removing the cork with his teeth and spitting it out, Axel cradled Lynus’ head against his shoulder as he pressed the bottle against his lips. But it proved highly difficult to ensure the entire bottle contents would enter his mouth. He didn’t want to waste a drop.

There was only one solution left. Axel lifted the bottle to his own lips and hastily poured it into his mouth. Throwing the now empty bottle away carelessly, he took hold of Lynus’ chin in a tender but firm hold and lowered his head, placing his mouth over Lynus’. Slowly, he started to slip the medicine into Lynus’ mouth. A small sense of relief touched him when he felt Lynus suddenly swallowed.

Pulling his lips away from Lynus’, Axel panted slightly as he stared upon Lynus’ face, looking for some kind of life. “Lynus?”

Slowly, Lynus’ brow furrowed. Then he drew in a sharp breath, his body trembling as he began to cough.

A sigh of utter relief echoed from all around. He was breathing again. He was alive!

Sluggishly, Lynus’ eyes fluttered open. His usually bright violet eyes were cloudy and unnaturally dimmed, but Axel had never seen anything more beautiful as they turned to gaze up at him.

“…Axel?” Lynus breathed, his voice soft and hoarse.

“Hey,” Axel said with a small smile, his voice croaky from emotion, tears pooling in his eyes and making his vision blurry. He pulled Lynus against his chest, hugging him tightly as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Thank god.”

He had never felt more relieved in his life. Lynus was alive. He wasn’t out of the woods yet. He didn’t know what kind of harm he had come to thanks to Scylla, but he was breathing and responsive. That was all that was important!

“Hey!”

Pulling Lynus away from his chest, but keeping him tenderly in his arms, Axel sat back and watched as the other members of his guild came into view, stumbling through the snow. The first person to reach them was Rahas.

“Lynus!” Rahas said as he scrambled over him and knelt down onto the snow next to him. “You’re…?”

Lynus managed to smile tiredly at him. But that was all that he could do. Still, seeing him smile was reassuring. Comforting in a way. He was so tired though.

“Guys!” Another voice called out. Axel glanced in the direction, watching as those who had wilfully offered their help in searching for Lynus came into view. It was good to see that they were safe as well. Even Guild Cosmos.

Keeping Lynus close to him, Axel slipped an arm around his shoulders and the other under his knees. Moving slowly, he climbed to his feet, effortlessly lifting Lynus up off the cold snow. Lynus’ head rested against Axel’s shoulders, his eyes half-lidded. He seemed unwilling to close them, not wanting to fall asleep. Not yet.

“We heard some awful sounds,” Survivalist Ryker said.

“Is everyone alright?” Protector Shelia asked as they grew closer. “Did you find him? Oh…”

They came to a stop when they noticed that Lynus was lying in Axel’s arms, looking a little worse for wear. Seeing him, Darrell rushed forward to stand in front of Axel. He took a moment to simply look Lynus over. He didn’t ask any questions. He could see simply by looking at Lynus how exhausted he was.

Rifling through his own medic bag, Darrell pulled out a couple of small bottles. He wasted no time in popping off the lids. With the soft command to drink, he held the medicinal bottle against Lynus’ lips. After the second bottle, Lynus seemed to perk up a bit, a bit of colour returning to his cheeks.

Again, everyone’s relief was palpable.

“…There’s nothing more I can do for him here,” Darrell stated as he gently took hold of Lynus’ wrist, checking his pulse for a moment before folding it across his torso. “He’s alive, that’s all that matters.”

Axel couldn’t agree more.

“What happened here?” Hedrick asked, taking a moment to survey their surroundings.

“What the hell is that?” Ryker went on to ask with a sense of alarm. He pointed in the direction of the deceased form of Scylla, watching with some concern as Artelind continued to cry over the loss of her former leader.

As the others turned to look, they too made sounds of surprise and fright. They began to ask questions, ranging from what that beast once was to how they could have battled such a fearsome creature.

Jhon held up his hand to silent the rapid fired questions. “…It’s a long story,” he said simply, not wanting to go into the details just yet. Not here and now at least.

“There is a Geomagnetic Field on the floor above,” Wilhelm suddenly stated. As he gained everyone’s attention, he pointed east to where a set of stairs could be seen. “Use that to get home.”

Axel turned to look at the older Gunner. He was still furious, absolutely livid that he was willingly pulled Lynus into danger, using another medic as a distraction. He knew what he was doing, and as far as Axel was concerned, Wilhelm hadn’t received just punishment yet.

Still…

“While I understand you desire to help Scylla,” Axel went on to say, keeping Lynus close. “It would be in your best interests that you never come near Lynus again.”

“…Understood,” Wilhelm replied, bowing his head slightly. He quickly turned on his heel and made his way over to Artelind, to offer the young War Magus some form of comfort.

Not bothering to give Guild Esbet a second glance, Axel carefully made his way over to the staircase. All this cold snow wouldn’t be very beneficial for Lynus right now. He needed to be warm, to be somewhere safe and comfortable.

Ascending the stairs, there was a notable temperature difference. It was good to feel, the deep freeze of the snow below disappearing. But stepping out onto a new, unknown floor was startling.

This floor was…beautiful. Gentle petals of pink floated down from the canopy above, the paths and walkways made of stone. It was so warm, so peaceful. So different to the floor below.

Standing in the middle of a medium size room, everyone looked around in awe. The coloured hues of pink were comforting in a way. Especially after the fierce struggle they had to endure on the floor below. They were walking out of winter into spring.

That was actually quite relevant. Winter was a time for death and furling back into oneself. Spring meant a time for new beginnings, a time for growth and renewal. That was actually what they were going through. What Lynus was going through; his past was over with, his new life had finally came into fruition.

“Lynus,” Axel said as he jostled Lynus softly, making him aware of his surroundings. “Look.”

Opening his eyes, a look of surprise appeared on Lynus’ face as he wordlessly looked around. Slowly, he lifted his hand, allowing a small pink petal to twirl through the air, landing in the middle of his palm. He seemed to be in awe, his fingers gently curling around the flower petal.

“There are different types of heroes,” Axel started to say. “But they all have one thing in common; saving lives. And you did that, Lynus. You saved several lives. You saved those in your care, giving them freedom. You even saved Lord Taksony from his own immortal pain. You helped Artelind and Wilhelm to move on with their lives. And you saved Scylla from her pain as well.”

Lynus slowly turned to look up at him, disbelief in his eyes. “…R-really?”

Axel smiled easily and reassuringly down at him. “Yeah.”

It took a moment to allow those words to seep in, for Lynus to realise that they were true and they did indeed apply to him. When they did, he squeezed his eyes shut and moved quickly to wrap his arms around Axel’s neck, pressing his face against his shoulder. “…I want to go home.”

“Right.”


	45. Chapter 45

Everyone that knew Lynus was waiting for them as they returned to town through the use of the Geomagnetic Field. Dr Stiles and his assistant Angie, Bar-Keep Cass, Thompson and his daughter Abigail, Matron and her daughter Becky were all there, with Binah at the forefront.  
They all appeared to be anxious and worried, talking in hushed and slightly frantic tones.

Axel managed to smile wearily at the group as he continued to hold Lynus close, his medic finally succumbing to his exhaustion and fallen asleep in his arms during the walk from the Geomagnetic Field. It was probably for the best as Lynus would be embarrassed by everyone’s concern over him. They had a right to be, mind you.

The group immediately stopped talking as Axel and his guild, along with so many others approached them. A sense of relief mixed with concern washed over them as they sighted Lynus lying in Axel’s arms, unnervingly still.

Immediately, Dr Stiles pushed through the group and stepped forward. Making no attempt to remove Lynus from Axel’s hold, he did a quick once over, checking his pulse and his breathing. Everyone waited with baited breathe for his the result of his analysis.

“…He’s exhausted,” Dr Stiles murmured after a few silent moments as he brushed a few stray strands of orange hair from Lynus’ forehead in a fatherly fashion. “Drained. He’ll need rest and a lot of it.”

There was a very faint sense of relief. Dr Stiles was never wrong in his diagnosis, so Lynus was not about to suddenly pass away. He would have reacted immediately if he was in any kind of danger. Although exhaustion wasn’t exactly a thrilling result as it would take time to heal, but at the very least he didn’t require radical healing.

“The Inn would be a better place for him to rest for a while,” Matron stated.

“Yes,” Dr Stiles immediately agreed as he stepped back. Her suggestion seemed accurate. The warmth and peace of the inn would be far more beneficial to Lynus than the hospital.

“We’ll get his room ready,” Becky offered as she tugged at Binah’s arm.

Binah turned to her and nodded her head. “Let’s go,” she said before the two pink-haired girls took off running as fast as they could.

“Will he need any medicines?” Angie asked, fidgeting slightly from her need to help in some way.

Dr Stiles thought for a moment before nodding his head. “A few Amritas would suffice,” he answered.

“We have some back at the shop,” Abigail said after she shared a look with her father, who nodded his head in agreement. “I’ll get them.”

“I’ll give you a hand,” Angie offered as she followed the young girl as they hurried toward Sitoth Trading.

“I better inform the other explorers,” Cass unexpectedly said as he scratched the back of his head, looking subtly relieved. “They’re worried too, ya know.”

As the group dispersed, all eager to help in their own way, Dr Stiles turned to the explorers who had willingly offered their support and aide in rescuing Lynus. He first turned his attention to Guild Guardian, immediately noting with his trained eye that several of them had some minor scrapes and bruises of their own.

“You’re all worn-out,” Dr Stiles said after ensuring that they weren’t suffering from anything untoward, either. “You should rest as well.”

“Lynus will be ok?” Magnus asked softly, his gaze travelling to look at Lynus anxiously.

“He’s in good hands now,” Dr Stiles said reassuringly, yet professionally at the same time. “Nothing will happen to him.”

Axel wordlessly carried Lynus toward the inn, the path before him thankfully clear of any obstacles. The others of his guild, his friends, followed equally silent, all taking a moment or so to gather their thoughts. And let their bodies slowly relax once more. Although Axel, himself, felt tired and weary, he refused to let Lynus go until he knew for certain that he was somewhere safe and comfortable.

Stepping into the inn’s lobby, he was greeted by the sight of Becky pointing up the stairs, toward the room he and Lynus shared. Mildly aware that Dr Stiles was following him, he ascended the stairs and walked into his room. He immediately noted that there were fresh blankets and pillows on Lynus’ bed, put there in hope that he would be more at ease.

Carefully, Axel lowered Lynus onto the bed. Before anyone else could come rushing in, he and Dr Stiles set about helping to get Lynus out of his sodden clothes, into something warmer and drier. Axel heard Dr Stiles make a small tisking sound, no doubt not at all pleased by how skinny Lynus was. He held his tongue, though.

Dressed in a new set of clothes, Lynus was placed under the sheets and Axel lifted the blankets up over his far too still form, making sure that he was warm and comfortable. He looked so delicate lying amongst the blankets and pillows.

Axel couldn’t help but feel a sense of guilt touch him as he gently brushed aside a strand of Lynus’ hair from his forehead. This shouldn’t have happened to him. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair.

The sound of many people approaching pulled Axel out of his thoughts. Once more, the people that knew Lynus or he had helped in some way had gathered just outside the room, some even boldly venturing inside. At the front of the group was Angie and Abigail, who had many bottles of Amritas nestled safely in their arms.

Dr Stiles plucked a few bottles from their arms and setting them onto the table beside Lynus’ bed. As Axel began to shrug off his armour, the head doctor turned to everyone and placed his hands on his hips in a no-nonsense manner.

“He needs rest,” Dr Stiles answered the chorus of ‘Is he going to be ok?’, not allowing for any argument. “That can’t happen with you lot clambering about. Everyone out.”

Dr Stiles then ushered everyone who wasn’t Axel out of the room, finding some resistance as he did so. He quickly dealt with it, though, with a rather scathing look. He then barked orders to the rest of the Guardian’s guild to get some much needed rest.

While the head doctor was formidable, not even he would be able to convince Axel to leave Lynus’ side. He knew better than to even try. “I would ask you to get some rest as well,” he said, sparing a glance in Axel’s direction. “But I doubt that you would listen.”

Axel was grateful for his understanding. He didn’t feel like fighting against the doctor. He would, if push came to shove. He wouldn’t enjoy it, though. He already proved that he wasn’t above doing something utterly reckless to stay with Lynus.

“I need to make sure,” Axel said as he shoved a chair toward the bed and sat down on it rather unceremoniously.

“I’ll get Matron to bring some food up for you,” Dr Stiles said as he made his motion to leave as well. While he was also concerned for Lynus’ welfare, he still had a hospital to run. “When he wakes up, make sure he drinks some Amrita. It’ll help ease his exhaustion. And you, you should get out of those wet clothes as well. I’ll stop by again later.”

“Ok,” Axel said as he nodded his head, keeping his eyes trained firmly on Lynus. “Thanks, Dr Stiles.”

He didn’t bother to turn to see the doctor out. He couldn’t take his eyes away from Lynus, finding some comfort in his sleeping face. He looked peaceful now, as if he knew he was safe and nothing to worry about.

With his own clothes starting to cling to him, Axel momentarily took his eyes away from Lynus and stood up. He quickly got dressed into something more comfortable and casual before promptly resuming his vigil. Lynus looked so tired, so it would no doubt be a while before he woke up again.

It was all right, though. No matter how long he had to wait, he would sit here until Lynus woke up.

… … … … …

Minutes quickly turned into hours, but how long it had been since Lynus had been put to bed and Axel sitting by his bedside was completely unknown. It was well into night now; a single candle lit on the table besides the bad was the only source of light.

And all this time, Axel began to muse to himself, replaying the day’s terrible events over and over again in his head as he gently ran his fingers through Lynus’ hair. While it was always good to take a moment to carefully review one’s actions and responses, it wasn’t really helping in easing the guilt he felt.

Looking at the entire situation objectively, he knew that there was little he could have done to prevent it. He wasn’t a psychic. He didn’t possess any ability to foretell the future. There was no way he could have known that Avith would team up Guild Esbet in some feeble attempt to keep a monstrous immortal being alive. And it all happened with such great speed, that they were struggling to keep up.

It didn’t help ease his remorse, though. It would take a while before he stopped berating himself in his head.

He should have been there to protect him. He promised that he would. He made that promise numerous times. It shouldn’t have mattered that others were hell-bent in preventing him from following through with his promise; he should have been there to protect Lynus. No matter what.

A soft murmur caused Axel to pause, immediately pulling himself from his musings. He glanced down at Lynus, gazing upon his face in time to see his brow furrow ever so slightly, his lips pressing together into a thin line. He then rolled his head slightly to the right toward him and his eyes fluttered open.

“Lynus?” Axel said softly, gently prompting him into consciousness.

Blinking his eyes slowly, it took Lynus a few moments to gather some of his bearings. “…Axel?”

Axel smiled softly. Hearing his name was like sweet heaven. “How are you feeling?”

Lynus made a soft noise in response, like a low whimper, before trying to move. His movements were sluggish at best and all he managed to do was roll over onto his side, facing Axel.

“Easy,” Axel said as he immediately reached out to hold him. He wrapped his arms around Lynus’ slender form, pulling him into a sitting position. With Lynus leaning against his chest, he reached round and grabbed a bottle of medicine from the table. “Hold on, I’ll get you some Amrita.”

Popping off the lid of the bottle, Axel brought it to Lynus’ lips, tilting it slowly so that he could take his time in drinking the medicine. Lynus winced slightly from the bitter taste, pushing the bottle away. He sighed a moment later, though, the effects of the tonic taking effect. He looked better now, a bit more alert and had colour back in his cheeks. Still incredibly tired, but he was improving.

Slowly, Lynus tilted his head back to look up at Axel. He then lifted a hand, which took some effort, to gently touch the side of Axel’s face with his fingertips. “…You’re ok,” he said, sounding relieved.

Axel gently took a hold of Lynus’ hand and held on tightly. He had to smile, though. Hearing Lynus being concerned for his welfare was a relief as it meant he was ok. “Of course I am.”

Lynus rested his head against Axel’s shoulder. “Is everyone alright?”

“Everyone is alive and fine,” Axel stated firmly and reassuringly. It was of no surprise to him that Lynus was thinking about everyone else but himself. “It’s you we’re worried about.”

“Hmm, I’m ok,” Lynus hummed softly, relaxing completely and utterly against Axel. “Just…tired.”

“Get some rest,” Axel said as he carefully lowered Lynus back onto the bed, resting his head against the pillow and pulling the blankets around him. As he was doing that, Lynus reached out to touch his hand, causing him to still.

“…You, too,” he said, looking up at Axel through half-lidded eyes and smiled softly, reassuringly. “I’ll be ok, Axel. Really.”  
   
Axel entwined his fingers with Lynus’ and nodded. “…I know.”

… … … … …

Axel was jolted from a very light sleep by a soft knocking at the bedroom door. Sitting up straight where he was slumped in the chair besides Lynus’ bed, he turned as the door to his room slowly opened. A mere moment later a blond popped his head in, his blue eyes looking around cautiously. He opened the door further when he realized that Axel was awake.

“Um, I’ve brought you some breakfast.”

“Magnus?” Axel muttered as he rubbed harshly at his eyes, somewhat surprised to realise that it was morning already. He was also surprised that the room hadn’t been inundated with concerned explorers and locals. Perhaps someone was keeping them out? “Hey.”

Magnus placed a tray of food onto the table near the bottles of medicine, his eyes lingering on the few empties bottles. “…H-has he awoken at all?” he asked as he fidgeted slightly, his concern quite prevalent.

“Yeah, a couple of times,” Axel answered with a small, relieved smile as he roughly scratched the back of his neck. “He keeps telling me he’s just tired. Hn, still trying to reassure everyone.”

Magnus looked enormously relieved to hear him say that. “…Do you want to, um, take a shower or something?” he suddenly asked. “I could watch Lynus for you.”

A part of Axel wanted to deny him as he wanted to be the one to take care of Lynus. But he wasn’t selfish enough to do that. Magnus and the others cared for Lynus too. They adored him, nearly as much as Lynus cared for them. They, too, needed to spend some time watching over him, reassuring themselves that Lynus was indeed alive and was going to be ok.

“…Ok,” Axel said as he heaved himself to his feet, rolling his shoulders to get the kinks and knots out of his neck and back. “If I don’t I might start stinking up the place. I won’t be long.”

“Ok,” Magnus eagerly replied, looking grateful that he had been given the chance to sit by Lynus’ bedside. “You can use the shower in my room,” he suggested before he quickly occupied the chair Axel had just vacated and focused his attention on Lynus.

As Axel gathered some belongings in order to have his shower, he noticed someone else from the corner of his eye. He turned to get a better look, noting that Shen was also in the room, leaning against the wall near the door with his arms folded over his chest.

Axel blinked, somewhat surprised to see him. “Shen?”

“I’ll watch over them,” Shen replied in his usually stoic manner.

“Sure.” Axel lingered in the threshold of the doorway long enough to watch Magnus carefully take Lynus’ hand in his, idly playing with the lines in his palm. He smiled softly to himself and left the room. He was reassured that Lynus was indeed in good hands, and will be watched over carefully.

Before he had a shower, Axel decided to check up on everyone else. They’ll probably grill him about Lynus’ condition, but that was alright. Lynus would not doubt be embarrassed by all the fuss, but it was something he had better get used to.

Approaching the tearoom first, Axel looked in and noticed there were only two occupants. They were sitting at a table that had several thick books. The books looked like the ones that Lynus was often flipping through.

“What are you two doing?” Axel asked as he entered the room.

Immediately, Macerio snapped his head up to look at him, an expression of surprise on his face. “Eh? Axel?”

Lirit turned to look at Axel as well, but he all but jumped out of his seat when he approached. “How’s Lynus?” he immediately asked.

“Still sleeping,” Axel answered with a small smile. “He had woken up, though. Magnus is watching over him.”

The look of relief on both Lirit and Macerio’s face was palpable, Lirit easing back into his seat. “We were just going through some of Lynus’ books,” Lirit then went on to explain, indicating to the books on the table in front of them. “We’re reading up to see if they are any crystals to help ease exhaustion.”

Somehow, Axel wasn’t at all surprised to hear that. “Anything?”

Macerio gave a one shoulder shrug. “I haven’t even heard of most of these crystals.”  
   
“Maybe we should ask Tobyn?” Lirit suggested.

“He’s not here at the moment.”

Axel blinked. “Where is he?”

“In the Labyrinth with Jhon, Hamza, Rahas and Chi-hung,” Macerio answered as he roughly pushed back some of his hair from his face.

“They’re gathering more ingredients for Amritas,” Lirit explained.

Again, Axel couldn’t say he was surprised. “I see.”

Bidding the two a “Seeya later”, Axel left the room. Since the others of his guild weren’t at the inn at the moment, there was no point in looking for them. He had better go have a shower, anyway, just to get it over and done with.

Ducking into the room that Shen and Magnus shared, Axel had a quick shower, long enough to make himself somewhat presentable and to wake himself up a bit more. It didn’t work all that well, though. The feel of the water rushing over him made him feel even more tired. So Axel got out, quickly dried himself and got dressed in a set of comfortable and casual clothes.

Stepping out of the room, feeling a bit more refreshed, Axel made his way to the laundry room in order to deposit the wet towels there. When he completed his task, he turned to head back toward his shared room with Lynus, he was nearly crash-tackled by a pink blur latching herself to his waist.

“Axel!”

“Oof!” Axel actually took a step backwards from the force of Binah crashing into him.

“How’s Lynus? Is he awake yet? Can we see him? Has he woken up at all?”

“Easy!” Axel said, placing his hand on top of Binah’s head in order to stop her from firing off any more questions. The young Troubadour abruptly became silent as she looked up at him, her eyes somewhat watery as she waited with baited breath. “He’s still resting, so it’s best we don’t disturb him, yet.”

Binah pouted sadly as she continued to cling to him. “I see…”

“He will be fine,” Axel went on to reassure. “He told me himself.”

Binah immediately perked up at that. “He did?”

“Yeah,” Axel smiled before noting that Becky was lingering nearby. “You girls can see him later. Now, chin up. Lynus wouldn’t want to see you sad.”

“…Ok,” Binah said after she drew in a deep breath to calm herself down. She then unwound her arms from around Axel’s middle before taking a step back, immediately shuffling over to stand by Becky’s side.

“Let’s go make some get well cards,” Becky suggested softly, tugging on Binah’s arm.

“Sure.”

Axel watched the two girls leave, heading toward Becky’s room in order to occupy themselves and to ease their worries. When they were out of sight, Axel continued his own trek back to his room. But as he approached the lobby, he was surprised to see Jhon and Tobyn there. While seeing them wasn’t a surprised, seeing them with their arms full of flowers and envelopes was.

“Hey,” Axel greeted as he approached the two blondes, whom seemed to be discussing something quietly. “What have you got there?”

“Hm? Axel?” Jhon murmured, appearing surprised to see him out of his room.

Tobyn, too, looked surprised, before shaking his head as if to clear it. “They’re from the bar and hospital,” he explained, motioning to the large bouquets of flowers and other assortments. “Get well gifts from the other guilds and explorers.”

“And some of the locals as well,” Jhon added with a smile.

Again, Axel couldn’t help but smile as well. It just showed how many people Lynus was able to touch and he didn’t even know. “I see.”

“There’s so many of them,” Jhon said. “We don’t know where to put them all.”

“You might have to ask Matron,” Axel suggested before promptly yawning.

He waved the two blondes off, who in turn shooed him away, Axel made the familiar path up the stairs to his room, once again yawning as he did so. As he approached the open door to his room, he was surprised to see Chi-hung sitting in the threshold, seemingly waiting for him.

Axel blinked, somewhat startled. “Chi-hung?” he questioned as the white tiger flicked his ear back in response, his tail swishing behind him. Chi-hung then stood up upon all fours, circled Axel once before pushing him inside his room.

As he did so, Axel found himself face to face with Hamza, the dark-haired War Magus not looking all that pleased.

“Go,” he said as he pointed at Axel’s undisturbed bed on the opposite side of the room from Lynus’. “Get some sleep before you end up in hospital with exhaustion of your own.”

Axel was about to argue back, but was cut off when another yawn passed his lips. “Fine,” he murmured as he made his way over to his bed. “Wake me up if he wakes up.”

“Yes, yes.”

As soon as Axel laid his head onto the pillow, he fell asleep.

… … … … …

Axel had managed to get a few hours’ sleep, surprisingly. But it was a good thing, as it meant that he had lessened Hamza’s concern for his welfare. Night had fallen again, and with the others retreating to their own rooms in order to get some rest, Axel was left alone watching over Lynus once more.

Thinking over the day’s events, it was comforting to know that there were so many people that cared for Lynus. Lynus would be surprised and embarrass, most likely. Axel wasn’t surprised, though. Lynus was kind, caring, thoughtful and loving. There was no one he wouldn’t care for, wouldn’t help. He had this slight sense of vulnerability about him, but he was also so strong. Far stronger than anyone.

Far stronger than him.

“Axel?”

“Lynus?” Axel was immediately by Lynus’ bedside, watching with a sense of concern, as well as relief, as Lynus rolled onto his side and pushed himself up onto his elbow under his own strength. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

Lynus didn’t say anything. He simply reached out toward Axel. And Axel immediately moved to take Lynus into his arms, pulling him into a sitting position as he cradled him against his chest. Lynus settled against him and trailed his fingers along Axel’s chin and jaw, tenderly indicating for him to lower his head.

And Axel did. He pressed his lips against Lynus, kissing him deeply. Lynus sighed into the kiss, threading the fingers of one hand through his hair as the other slipped round to grasp at the back of Axel’s shirt. This kiss was different from the ones they had shared many times before. It was more emotional and tender.

It was as though their relationship was entering a new phase.

Pulling back from the kiss, but still staying close, Axel uttered words that had always been known between them, but never said. They weren’t said because they weren’t needed, but he wanted to say them anyway.

“I love you.”

Lynus simply smiled up at him. “I know,” he whispered. “I love you, too.”

They leaned forward to kiss once again, Axel lowering Lynus back onto the bed, holding each other as close as humanly possible.


	46. Chapter 46

Exactly two days have passed since Lynus’ kidnapping. Lynus was still recovering, although he had regained most of his spiritual strength. His physical body still had a few days yet to go. With everyone fussing over him, it shouldn’t take him long at all to recover completely.

Getting over the nightmares, though, of seeing Scylla head’s lolling around at such a grossly unnatural angle and hearing her pain-stricken voice in his head would take a little longer. It wasn’t her monstrous wailing and deformed body that unnerved him, though. It was her pain. And her regret. She was suffering so, so much. She wanted it to stop. He wanted to stop it for her.

…There was only one way to do that.

At least she was at peace now. And everyone was safe.

While Lynus still wasn’t all that comfortable to be on the receiving end of such concern, he had to admit that it was rather nice. It made one feel special to know, to realise how many people cared about him. Not as a medic, but as a person.

He had learnt from Axel that he almost died, Axel relaying this information so painfully, squeezing his hand tightly. He had stopped breathing, he said. He never wanted to see Lynus lying still and cold every again.

Lynus could only imagine how frightened, no terrified Axel must have been. The thought of Axel being the one to have stopped breathing was enough to make him feel physically nauseous.

In all honesty, Lynus didn’t remember his near-death. After Scylla had captured him, draining his healing energy in order to sustain herself, everything felt like a dream. Everything moved so slowly. Colours and sounds were muted and distant.

He remembered hearing Axel say his name so clearly. It cut through the white-noise in his ears. He also remembered how reassuring it felt to hear Axel’s voice. He didn’t recall much after that. There were glimpses of images and of words. He just remembered being held in Axel’s arms and the feeling of knowing that he was safe.

His memories may become clearer to him at some later stage, but it was of little concern to him now. He had to focus on getting better, regaining his strength and his nerve, so that the others wouldn’t worry about him anymore.

It was rather embarrassing when they celebrated his ‘awakening’, if he were to be honest.

Binah had cried when she clambered onto the bed to hug him, pressing her face into his shoulder. Lirit was close to tears as well when he hugged him, slipping onto the bed beside Binah to hug him, too. It took Lynus a good few minutes to ensure them that he was ok, that he was going to be alright.

He was pretty good with words, but what happened after he calmed them down left him speechless.

For the first time in eight years, Rahas had actually hugged him first. It was awkward and clumsy, but it was still a comforting embraced. And so openly as well. Although Lynus had been greatly startled, he was thrilled to see that the Dark Hunter was starting to open up more and more. He was starting to let himself heal, finally accepting that his life was meant to be lived.

With his family members reassured, next came Axel’s guild – no, their friends – to see how he was doing. At first it was slightly awkward; they were trained explorers, usually helping other guilds or guards. This time they had to save one of their own. Something that Lynus still felt guilty about.

However, with a light push from Shen, of all people, Magnus broke the stifling awkwardness by hugging him, whispering that he was glad that he was ok. It quickly turned into a group hug, initiated by Macerio. Lynus had to laugh as he tried his best to reassure and comfort, but he felt happy that they cared about him. Cared so much that they willingly (and recklessly) rushed into the labyrinth, onto an unknown floor, to save him.

It made Lynus realise how truly lucky he was, in every sense of the word.

So many people dropped by to see how he was doing and he had received many get-well gifts. So many that he, nor anyone else, knew where to put them all! Matron, Becky, Dr Stiles, Angie, Darrell, Cass, Abigail and her father. They all paid him a visit.

He even got a visit from Shania and her baby boy, whom she named Linden. Her guild accompanied her, giving Lynus a chance to thank them for offering to help Axel and the others rescue him.

Guild Cosmos hadn’t dropped by, though, which was a shame as Lynus wanted to thank them, too. But from what Macerio had told him, with startled disbelief, they were busy training in the Labyrinth to become stronger. That news surprised Lynus. He was probably as surprised as Macerio was!

Lynus was abruptly pulled from his thoughts when he heard voices just outside his room. He closed the book of crystals he had been flipping through idly and turned his attention to the partially opened door. He listened for a moment, instantly recognising the two voices. One was Axel’s and the other was Hamza’s. They seemed to be discussing something, probably debating on whether they should inform him just yet.

Apparently, Dr Stiles had ordered them not to put him under any more stress.

But hearing them talking in hushed tones piqued Lynus’ interest. He had to know what they were debating about now. It obviously involved him in some way. Otherwise they wouldn’t be discussing it outside his door!

Something else must have happened in the labyrinth, something they hadn’t told him yet.

“I can hear you two,” Lynus said, causing the whispers to come to an abrupt halt. “What are you debating about?”

Almost sheepishly, Hamza and Axel entered the room. Lynus shuffled to sit on the edge of his bed where he had been lounging, smiling as Axel immediately took a seat beside him, his hand reaching out to take his.

“I’ve come to learn a few things about that Dark Hunter,” Hamza explained, purposely avoiding the use of Avith’s name.

It didn’t stop a shiver of unease from racing up Lynus’ spine and his grip tightening on Axel’s hand. He tried to ignore it, though. A part of him never wanted to know anything about Avith, about what motivated him in being so…himself. But if it was anything terrible or sicking, Hamza wouldn’t be debating himself in telling him, would he?

“What is it?” Lynus asked.

Sharing a brief look with Axel, Hamza sighed with resignation. He sat down in a chair in front of Lynus and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He then slowly began to explain to him a conversation that he had with Avith inside the labyrinth. He explained his actions the best he could, while adding that he did not condone them in anyway. He was simply telling him what he knew, what he had heard. He simply informed him what he thought was the truth.

When he was done, he became silent, waiting for Lynus to react in some way, be it positive or negative.

For a few moments, Lynus sat silently as he allowed what Hamza just told him to sink in. He could hardly believe what he had heard, to be perfectly honest. Avith’s goal of trying to debunk myths and legends of immortality. He once used in a ritual. Zalaph not being born a Hexer. Avith saving Zalaph.

It was all quite baffling, really. He had no idea. It was rather challenging to accept.

“I…” Lynus started to speak, although he wasn’t entire sure what to say. While Avith’s goal was noble, if it was true, mind you. He shouldn’t be judgemental, should he? It was important to open one’s eyes to any other possibilities.

Still, that didn’t mean he felt any kind of kinship with him. Not yet. Not for a while. Not after all the torment and terror he put him through.

“I still think he’s a sleaze,” Lynus muttered after a moment, sounding quite resolute in his words. Words that prompted a small, amused smile to grace Hamza’s lip and for Axel to snort lightly, also somewhat amused.

As silence fell over the room once more, Lynus retreated to his thoughts. In all honestly, he just wanted to move on from all of this. Completely and utterly this time. Taksony was dead, his reign of terror over. Avith and Zalaph were no longer a threat to him and his ‘family’.

A commotion from the lobby suddenly interrupted the silence. There was the sound of raised voices and the shuffling of feet. It almost sounded like a fight was about to break out. Not something that was supposed to or even allowed to happened in the lobby of the inn.

Hamza and Axel shared a puzzled look before Hamza abruptly climbed to his feet to hastily, but calmly, make his way toward the arguing. Axel then turned his gaze toward Lynus. He looked as though he wanted to check it out as well. He was curious. But so was Lynus!

So Axel offered his hand for Lynus to take, helping him to his feet before they, too, made their way out of their room. They lingered on the stairs, though, watching from a point of safety just in case things do turn somewhat physical.

Congregated in the lobby were the members of the Guardians Guild (Rahas and Lirit included), looking hostile and intimidating, glares of disbelief and anger all focused on one individual.

Recognising him immediately, Lynus tightened his grip on Axel’s hand.

There, Gunner Wilhelm stood impassively, seemingly undisturbed by the looks of accusation and anger directed toward him. Everyone stood, uneasy and guard, their hands hovering mere inches from their weapons. Wilhelm, however, made no attempt to reach for his own weapons, which was probably why everyone else was so hesitant.

When Wilhelm looked in his direction, Lynus subconsciously hid behind Axel, his red-haired Landsknecht twitching slightly from protective anger as he glared at Wilhelm. Lynus did find himself calming slightly when a flicker of remorse and guilt appeared across the older Gunner’s face before promptly looking away.

Had he come to apologise or explain himself?

Hamza pushed himself to the front of the group, eyeing Wilhelm off suspiciously and critically. “What do you want?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest defensively.

“Artelind has retreated into the Labyrinth,” Wilhelm stated, getting straight to the point. “I cannot get through to her.”

“What makes you think we can?” Jhon asked, his usually friendly face creased into an unapproachable glare. “Or will even try?”

“You do understand how reluctance, don’t you?” Hamza said, his tone terse and sharp. “After all, not only did you participate in the kidnapping of a cherished member of this guild, but you placed the entire guild in danger. Three guilds in fact!”

“…I am aware of that,” Wilhelm murmured, his voice low and pained.

“Ok, so let me get this straight,” Macerio spoke up, a sense of distrust and scepticism in his voice. “You want us to find Artelind to see if she’s alright? Is that it?”

Wilhelm nodded his head slowly. “There is nothing more I can do for her.”

“…You are either a very foolish man,” Hamza murmured before sighing, shaking his head. “Or a desperate one.”

A moment of silence fell over the room as Axel and Lynus descended the stairs, Axel keeping a firm grip on Lynus’ hand. Lynus was grateful that Axel held his hand so warmly. He, however, couldn’t help but muse to himself. The desperation in Wilhelm’s form was obvious. He could see that he was being truthful.

Lynus couldn’t help but feel some empathy for him. It was his nature, after, to give comfort to those who need it. To be merciful toward those in pain.

“Axel?” Lynus said as he tugged on Axel’s hand. “I think we should go.”

“Hn?” Axel turned to look at him, slightly disbelieving, as did everyone else.

“When I was being drained by Scylla, I could hear her,” Lynus started to explain. “She was speaking to me. There were a few things she wanted Artelind to know. Maybe I should go speak with her.”

“You haven’t fully recovered yet,” Tobyn was quick to retort before anyone else could. “You shouldn’t be going anywhere.”

“…I know,” Lynus said, granting everyone a small smile. He couldn’t deny that. He was tired, and being tired was something that would only cause trouble within the Labyrinth. Still…

“…She’s mourning,” Lynus said with a sigh. “She’s lost her dear friend again. Once when she sacrificed herself to protect her guild. The second time when she was transformed into that monster. And then again when we had no choice but to defeat her. I’m not making excuses for her actions. I’m just as mad as you are; after all, you were all put in terrible danger rescuing me.”

Once again, the room fell into an abrupt silence, allowing Lynus’ words of compassion to sink in. They were probably trying to understand how someone who had been through so much still held so much understanding and mercy toward others.

But Lynus wasn’t being completely selfless. It would benefit him, too. It would help him to move on from this, to get on with his own life, with his new life.

“How did you…?” Wilhelm suddenly spoke before trailing off, a blatant look of surprise on his usually emotionless face.

“Like I said; she spoke to me,” Lynus replied with a wryly smile as he tapped his temple with his finger. “Inside my head. I don’t really understand what happened to her as she didn’t know either.”

The others didn’t look all that convinced that they should be the ones to handle this request, and Lynus couldn’t blame them. Maybe he was being a little bit selfish, but he needed to do this.

“Pain and suffering can make a person go completely mad,” Lynus continued, his words coming from experience. “We shouldn’t allow her torment to continue. I think that what I’ve learnt and heard from Scylla would be beneficial for Artelind to hear.”

Axel was silent before he sighed with a sense of exasperation and roughly scratched the back of his head. “Fine, you’re right.”

“Thanks, Axel,” Lynus said with a smile as he pressed himself against his side, nuzzling his head against his shoulder in slight apology. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” Jhon said as he slowly relaxed his posture, seemingly satisfied that Wilhelm was not a threat to them or anyone. “She could be anywhere.”

“I take it you know, don’t you, Wilhelm?” Hamza didn’t so much as ask, but stated as he turned to look at Wilhelm, arching an eyebrow toward his hairline.

Wilhelm nodded his head once, once again an expression of blankness appearing on his face. “There is a certain place she liked to hide every now and again.” He then pulled out a rough looking map from his coat, offering it to Hamza to take.

Hamza accepted the map before turning to face his guild, everyone already falling back into explorer mode, wandering which was the best course to take. Lyner mildly paid attention to what they were saying. He was surprised to note, though, that they weren’t talking about parties or teams.

When he questioned them, he received several rather plain looks. Rahas was surprisingly the one to answer him.

“We’re all going,” he stated bluntly, leaving no room for argument.

Lynus blinked. “Everyone?”

“Yes, everyone,” Hamza reiterated as he studied the map. “We’re not having a repeat.”

“…Ok.” There was nothing Lynus could say to that. So he simply smiled and rested contently against Axel’s side. They’ll be protective of him for some time to come, but he would be able to handle that.

As long as they don’t put their own lives at risk because of him. Then he’ll get rebellious.

“…Maybe he really can ease anyone’s pain…”

Lynus blinked and turned to glance at Wilhelm, finding the older man looking at him with a slightly studying gaze. “Did you say something?”

“No. Just mumbling to myself,” Wilhelm hastily replied, shaking himself out of his thoughts. “I’ll await your return at the bar.”

… … … … …

Despite the rough sketching’s on the map, it proved to be highly accurate. It took them no time at all to locate Artelind’s favourite hiding spot amongst the red and gold leaves of the second stratum. And although they had entered the labyrinth in one big team, they had received surprisingly little resistance from the guards.

Even the monsters seemed to avoid stepping into their paths.

Maybe it was because of their vast numbers. Or maybe it was from the powerful aura of protectiveness directly solely at Lynus.

Either way, they were quick to find Artelind. As they approached, they found the young War Magus setting in the corner of a little nook, her legs pulled up against her chest as she stared up at the canopy above. She quickly realized that she had company and sprung to her feet, her staff being wielded in both hands in an equally offensive and defensive manner.

However, no one from the Guardian Guild made an attempt to reach for their own weapons. Instead, Lynus stepped away from the protective group, Axel lingering a few steps behind him just in case Artelind wanted to get feisty.

Lynus wasn’t afraid, though. He could see that most of the fight was out of her anyway.

“What do you want?” Artelind asked him harshly, trying to sound defiant to cover up her nervousness. “Here for revenge or something?”

“No,” Lynus said as he shook his head and folded his arms over his torso. “That isn’t what Scylla wants.”

“How could you know what she wants?” Artelind all but hissed, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

“She doesn’t regret protecting you, you know?” Lynus retorted quickly.

A look of surprised abruptly appeared on Artelind’s face and she reeled her head back in shock. “…What?”

“She wants me to tell you that she didn’t regret it,” Lynus continued, trying his best to recall that feminine voice that spoke so desperately to him. “Given the chance, she would do it again – protecting you from that ambush. You weren’t expecting that Helldra to attack during the day, were you?”

Artelind paled considerably at his words. It was almost like she had gone into a state of shock, no doubt wondering how he could have known any of that. “You…”

“Her only regret was that she left you behind to suffer her loss.”

“How do you know all of this?” Artelind suddenly asked, her voice losing its defiant edge, instead sounding soft and almost child-like. Even those who had accompanied him sounded somewhat surprised.

“She spoke to me,” Lynus answered with a small smile, feeling as though, perhaps, his words will finally reach her. Her rebelliousness had been subdued. He could tell her everything he had heard now, knowing that she would listen.

“She’s free now. She’s not in pain anymore,” he continued. “And you won’t be, either. Given time. Scylla wants you to move on with your life. You had done terrible things because of her. You lost yourself. She wants you to return to that cheerful and kind-hearted girl you once were. I believe her exact words were something like this.”

Lynus closed his eyes as he tried to remember those exact words. “Banish the fog of illusion. Open your eyes to the truth. Remember the perfection of who you are.”

“…Are you sure she was talking about me?” Artelind murmured, a lump of raw emotion lodging in her throat.

Lynus simply smiled. “That’s all I wanted to say. All Scylla told me, anyway.”

“…” Artelind stood silently, holding her staff with a tight grip as she took the time needed to allow his words he said to her to fully sink in. At first, she seemed unwilling to believe that what had happened was for the best. Slowly, a look of acceptance appeared in her eyes and her shoulders sagged slightly, either from sadness, or from a weight being lifted from her shoulders.

Lynus truly hoped that it was the latter.

“Are you going to be ok now?” Lynus asked her gently.

“…Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Artelind answered, a slightly impish grin appearing on her lips, although her eyes were slightly hazy from unshed tears. “That old man sent you, didn’t he? Fool, always worrying about me.”

“Maybe you should head back as well,” Lynus suggested.

“Yeah, I will. I…”

“It’s fine now,” Lynus said, knowing full well what she wanted to say. He could see it in her eyes now.

He simply smiled at her as he made his way back to Axel and the others. He felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders as well.

There was nothing to hold him back anymore. He was ready to move on. He was ready to get on with his own life, living it the way he wanted – with Axel and his new-found family. To become a better healer and an explorer, to stay by Axel’s side and ensure they never have to deal with the devastation of losing someone near and dear. Those were his long-term plans.

“Lynus?”

Reaching out to take Axel’s hand in his, Lynus felt something that had been a long time coming. Contentment. True serenity.

Finally, the suffering had ceased.

“Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …Yep, that’s the end. I can’t believe that I am actually here, that I wrote such a long story! I’m actually kinda proud of myself, in a way. I probably won’t write anything this long or detailed ever again, but it proved that I could! 
> 
> Thank you all so very much for accompanying me on this journey, for supporting me with words of encouragement the entire way. Couldn’t have done it without you!
> 
> Since I am currently obsessed with the Etrian Odyssey series I will be writing a story set in EO4 sometime in the future! I have an idea in mind, but it’s all in the early planning stages. I don’t know when I’ll be posting it, but I hope you’ll keep an eye out for it anyway!
> 
> One more thing, I will also be doing a series of drabbles set in this novel’s universe! Yeah, these characters are mah babies, so of course I’d be writing more about them. Hope you’ll look out for them as well! Ideas would also be greatly appreciated. Go on, let me know your little head-cannons. Throw them at me!

**Author's Note:**

> Finally got an account here! This story is my baby at the moment, so I'll be updating this one continuously. I'm unsure whether or not I should upload all my other fics onto this site as well.


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